Page 1 of 154
CPC EXAM- CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL CODER (CPC)
EXAMINATION 1&2 NEWEST VERSION WITH
COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
LATEST UPDATE JUST RELEASED THIS YEAR
Question: Which of the following is an example of a case in which a diabetes-related problem
exists and the code for diabetes is never sequenced first?
A. If the patient has an underdose of insulin due to an insulin pump malfunction.
B. If the patient is being treated for secondary diabetes.
C. If the patient is being treated for Type 2 diabetes and uses insulin.
D. If the patient is diabetic with an associated condition. - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔A. If the
patient has an underdose of insulin due to an insulin pump malfunction.
The ICD-10-CM guidelines (Section I.C.4.a.5): An underdose of insulin due to an insulin pump
failure should be assigned T85.6-, as the principal or first listed code, followed by code T83.3X6-.
Additional codes for the type of diabetes mellitus should also be assigned.
, Page 2 of 154
Question: Patient has basal cell carcinoma on his upper back. A map was prepared to
correspond to the area of skin where the excisions of the tumor will be performed using Mohs
micrographic surgery technique. There were three tissue blocks that were prepared for cryostat,
sectioned, and removed in the first stage. Then a second stage had six tissue blocks which were
also cut and stained for microscopic examination. The entire base and margins of the excised
pieces of tissue were examined by the surgeon. No tumor was identified after the final stage of
the microscopically controlled surgery. What procedure codes are reported?
A. 17313, 17314, 17314
B. 17313, 17315
C. 17260, 17313, 17314
D. 17313,17314, 17315 - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔D. 17313,17314, 17315
Patient is having Mohs Micrographic Surgery being performed only, eliminating multiple choice
answer C. Mohs codes are based on the anatomic grouping by code, the number of stages
taken, and number of blocks per stage. The surgery was on the back reporting code 17313 for
stage 1 with three blocks, add-on code 17314 is for stage 2 with five blocks, and add-on code
17315 is for the sixth block in stage 2.
Question: 45 year-old male is in outpatient surgery to excise a basal cell carcinoma of the right
nose and have reconstruction with an advancement flap. The 1.2 cm lesion with an excised
, Page 3 of 154
diameter of 1.5 cm was excised with a 15-blade scalpel down to the level of the subcutaneous
tissue, totaling a primary defect of 1.8 cm. Electrocautery was used for hemostasis. An adjacent
tissue transfer of 3 sq cm was taken from the nasolabial fold and was advanced into the primary
defect. Which CPT® code(s) is (are) reported?
A. 14060
B. 11642, 14060
C. 11642, 15115
D. 15574 - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔A. 14060
An adjacent tissue transfer (advancement flap) was used to repair a defect on the nose due to
an excision of a malignant lesion, eliminating multiple choice answers C and D. The section
guidelines in the CPT® codebook for Adjacent Tissue or Rearrangement indicate that the
excision of a benign lesion (11400-11446) or a malignant lesion (11600-11646) is included in
codes for adjacent tissue transfer (14000-14302), and are not separately reported. This
eliminates multiple choice answer B.
Question: 24 year-old patient had an abscess by her vulva which burst. She has developed a
soft tissue infection caused by gas gangrene. The area was debrided of necrotic infected tissue.
All of the pus was removed and irrigation was performed with a liter of saline until clear and
, Page 4 of 154
clean. The infected area was completely drained and the wound was packed gently with sterile
saline moistened gauze and pads were placed on top of this. The correct CPT® code is:
A. 56405
B. 10061
C. 11004
D. 11042 - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔C. 11004
The abscess had already burst, with no need to perform an incision to open it, eliminating
multiple choice answers A and B. The difference between multiple choice answers C and D, is
that the patient is having the debridement performed due to a soft tissue infection in the
perineum area. The correct code is 11004 for debridement of necrotized infected tissue on the
external genitalia.
Question: 76 year-old female had a recent mammographic and ultrasound abnormality in the 6
o'clock position of the left breast. She underwent core biopsies which showed the presence of a
papilloma. The plan now is for needle localization with excisional biopsy to rule out occult
malignancy. After undergoing preoperative needle localization with hookwire needle injection
with methylene blue, the patient was brought to the operating room and was placed on the
operating room table in the supine position where she underwent laryngeal mask airway (LMA)
anesthesia. The left breast was prepped and draped in a sterile fashion. A radial incision was
CPC EXAM- CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL CODER (CPC)
EXAMINATION 1&2 NEWEST VERSION WITH
COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
LATEST UPDATE JUST RELEASED THIS YEAR
Question: Which of the following is an example of a case in which a diabetes-related problem
exists and the code for diabetes is never sequenced first?
A. If the patient has an underdose of insulin due to an insulin pump malfunction.
B. If the patient is being treated for secondary diabetes.
C. If the patient is being treated for Type 2 diabetes and uses insulin.
D. If the patient is diabetic with an associated condition. - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔A. If the
patient has an underdose of insulin due to an insulin pump malfunction.
The ICD-10-CM guidelines (Section I.C.4.a.5): An underdose of insulin due to an insulin pump
failure should be assigned T85.6-, as the principal or first listed code, followed by code T83.3X6-.
Additional codes for the type of diabetes mellitus should also be assigned.
, Page 2 of 154
Question: Patient has basal cell carcinoma on his upper back. A map was prepared to
correspond to the area of skin where the excisions of the tumor will be performed using Mohs
micrographic surgery technique. There were three tissue blocks that were prepared for cryostat,
sectioned, and removed in the first stage. Then a second stage had six tissue blocks which were
also cut and stained for microscopic examination. The entire base and margins of the excised
pieces of tissue were examined by the surgeon. No tumor was identified after the final stage of
the microscopically controlled surgery. What procedure codes are reported?
A. 17313, 17314, 17314
B. 17313, 17315
C. 17260, 17313, 17314
D. 17313,17314, 17315 - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔D. 17313,17314, 17315
Patient is having Mohs Micrographic Surgery being performed only, eliminating multiple choice
answer C. Mohs codes are based on the anatomic grouping by code, the number of stages
taken, and number of blocks per stage. The surgery was on the back reporting code 17313 for
stage 1 with three blocks, add-on code 17314 is for stage 2 with five blocks, and add-on code
17315 is for the sixth block in stage 2.
Question: 45 year-old male is in outpatient surgery to excise a basal cell carcinoma of the right
nose and have reconstruction with an advancement flap. The 1.2 cm lesion with an excised
, Page 3 of 154
diameter of 1.5 cm was excised with a 15-blade scalpel down to the level of the subcutaneous
tissue, totaling a primary defect of 1.8 cm. Electrocautery was used for hemostasis. An adjacent
tissue transfer of 3 sq cm was taken from the nasolabial fold and was advanced into the primary
defect. Which CPT® code(s) is (are) reported?
A. 14060
B. 11642, 14060
C. 11642, 15115
D. 15574 - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔A. 14060
An adjacent tissue transfer (advancement flap) was used to repair a defect on the nose due to
an excision of a malignant lesion, eliminating multiple choice answers C and D. The section
guidelines in the CPT® codebook for Adjacent Tissue or Rearrangement indicate that the
excision of a benign lesion (11400-11446) or a malignant lesion (11600-11646) is included in
codes for adjacent tissue transfer (14000-14302), and are not separately reported. This
eliminates multiple choice answer B.
Question: 24 year-old patient had an abscess by her vulva which burst. She has developed a
soft tissue infection caused by gas gangrene. The area was debrided of necrotic infected tissue.
All of the pus was removed and irrigation was performed with a liter of saline until clear and
, Page 4 of 154
clean. The infected area was completely drained and the wound was packed gently with sterile
saline moistened gauze and pads were placed on top of this. The correct CPT® code is:
A. 56405
B. 10061
C. 11004
D. 11042 - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔C. 11004
The abscess had already burst, with no need to perform an incision to open it, eliminating
multiple choice answers A and B. The difference between multiple choice answers C and D, is
that the patient is having the debridement performed due to a soft tissue infection in the
perineum area. The correct code is 11004 for debridement of necrotized infected tissue on the
external genitalia.
Question: 76 year-old female had a recent mammographic and ultrasound abnormality in the 6
o'clock position of the left breast. She underwent core biopsies which showed the presence of a
papilloma. The plan now is for needle localization with excisional biopsy to rule out occult
malignancy. After undergoing preoperative needle localization with hookwire needle injection
with methylene blue, the patient was brought to the operating room and was placed on the
operating room table in the supine position where she underwent laryngeal mask airway (LMA)
anesthesia. The left breast was prepped and draped in a sterile fashion. A radial incision was
