CPC Pathology & Laboratory Practice Questions
Pathology & Laboratory makes up 3 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest CPC practice test. Here are 10 of the 12 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.
Updated by the Tigertest team. Based on AAPC's published CPC exam areas, the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, CMS rules and CPT conventions. Original questions; no code-book lookups.
1. To report an organ or disease panel, the lab must perform:
- A.Only the first test listed
- B.Every test listed in the panel
- C.Most tests in the panel
- D.Any two of the tests in the panel
Answer: B. CPT panels require all listed tests. If any is missing, report the individual tests instead.
2. A test performed in addition to a complete panel is:
- A.Never reportable
- B.Reported with modifier 52
- C.Included in the panel
- D.Reported separately
Answer: D. Extra tests beyond a panel's list are coded on their own; they do not change the panel code.
3. In surgical pathology, the unit of service is:
- A.The specimen
- B.The block
- C.The patient
- D.The slide
Answer: A. Surgical pathology is coded per specimen, tissue submitted for individual examination and diagnosis.
4. Surgical pathology level I is:
- A.A frozen section
- B.A complex tumor exam
- C.Gross exam only
- D.Microscopic exam only
Answer: C. Level I is gross examination without microscopy. Levels II to VI add microscopic examination by specimen type.
5. Modifier 91 reports:
- A.A reduced lab panel
- B.A CLIA-waived test
- C.A repeat clinical lab test
- D.An outside lab's test
Answer: C. Modifier 91 is a repeat of the same lab test on the same day to get new results. It is not for rerunning a failed test.
6. HCPCS modifier QW on a lab test indicates:
- A.A CLIA-waived test
- B.A reference lab test
- C.A research test
- D.A repeat test
Answer: A. QW tells Medicare the test is CLIA-waived, so a lab with a certificate of waiver may perform it.
7. Presumptive drug testing differs from definitive testing because it:
- A.Requires a blood sample
- B.Measures exact amounts
- C.Names each specific drug
- D.Screens for drug classes
Answer: D. Presumptive tests show a drug class may be present. Definitive tests identify specific drugs and may quantify them.
8. Venipuncture to collect a blood specimen is:
- A.Never reportable
- B.Reported separately
- C.Part of the lab test
- D.Part of every E/M
Answer: B. Specimen collection by venipuncture has its own code and is not included in the lab test codes.
9. A frozen section during surgery is done to:
- A.Test blood type
- B.Give a quick diagnosis
- C.Store tissue for later
- D.Grow bacteria
Answer: B. A frozen section gives the surgeon a rapid read, such as whether margins are clear, while the patient is still in surgery.
10. A quantitative lab result reports:
- A.A culture's growth
- B.A cell's shape
- C.Presence or absence
- D.A measured amount
Answer: D. Quantitative tests give a number. Qualitative tests report only whether a substance is present.
Practice all 12 pathology & laboratory questions, and the rest of the 200-question bank, in the free CPC training sets. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
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