Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) Exam
Preparation 2026 Complete Questions
and Correct Detailed Answers (Verified
Answers) |Already Graded A+
Diagnostic-related groups (DRGs) and ambulatory patient classifications (APCs) are
similar in that they are both:
a. Determined by HCPCS codes
b. Focused on hospital outpatients
c. Focused on hospital inpatients
d. Prospective payment systems -CORRECTANSWER d. Prospective payment
systems
** Both are types of prospective payment systems (Casto and Forrestal 2015, 6).
A patient is treated for esophageal varices with hemorrhage due to cirrhosis. The
diagnostic codes that would be assigned are:
I85.01 Esophageal varices with bleeding
I85.11 Secondary esophageal varices with bleeding
K74.60 Unspecified cirrhosis of liver -CORRECTANSWER d. K74.60, I85.11
K74.60: Unspecified cirrhosis of liver
,I85.11:Secondary esophageal varices with bleeding
**The patient has cirrhosis of the liver with resulting bleeding esophageal varices.
Cirrhosis of liver is sequenced first followed by the code for the bleeding esophageal
varices (HHS 2017, Section I.A.13, 11).
Assign the code(s) for bronchoscopy with bilateral transbronchial biopsy for each lobe of
each lung.
31628 Bronchoscopy, rigid or flexible, including fluoroscopic guidance, when performed;
with transbronchial lung biopsy(s), single lobe
31629 Bronchoscopy, rigid or flexible, including fluoroscopic guidance, when performed;
with transbronchial needle aspiration biopsy(s), trachea, main stem and/or lobar
bronchus(i)
31632 Bronchoscopy, rigid or flexible, including fluoroscopic guidance, when performed;
with transbronchial lung biopsy(s), each additional lobe
−50 Bilateral procedure -CORRECTANSWER
Assign the code(s) for endoscopic sinusotomy with bilateral anterior ethmoidectomy.
31231 Nasal endoscopy, diagnostic, unilateral or bilateral (separate procedure)
31254 Nasal/sinus endoscopy, surgical; with ethmoidectomy, partial (anterior)
−50 Bilateral procedurea.
,a. 31254
b. 31254-50
c. 31254, 31254
d. 31231 -CORRECTANSWER b. 31254-50
31254 Nasal/sinus endoscopy, surgical; with ethmoidectomy, partial (anterior)
−50 Bilateral procedurea.
** A code for the anterior ethmoidectomy is assigned and to denote the bilateral
procedure, a modifier of -50 is added (CPT Assistant Winter 1993, 23; Jan. 1997, 4;
Sept. 1997, 10; Oct. 1997, 5; Dec. 2001, 6; May 2003, 5). The sinusotomy is not coded
separately, as it is a diagnostic procedure.
The most common language used for both data definition language and data
manipulation language is:
a. Unified modeling language
b. JAVA
c. Perl
d. Structured query language -CORRECTANSWER d. Structured query language
** Structured query language (SQL) is used commonly for data language and data
definitions (Sharp 2016, 184).
, An ethmoidectomy removes infected tissue and bone in the ethmoid sinuses that blocks
natural drainage. The surgeon views your ethmoid sinuses with an endoscope, a thin
flexible tube with a very small camera and light at the end of it. -CORRECTANSWER
Documentation from the nursing or other allied health professionals' notes can be used
to establish which of the following diagnoses:
a. Body mass index (BMI)
b. Malnutrition
c. Aspiration pneumonia
d. Fatigue -CORRECTANSWER a. Body mass index (BMI)
** The physician must establish the diagnosis—obesity or morbid obesity—and the
additional information can be pulled from ancillary documentation to establish the
correct code assignment for body mass index (BMI) (Leon-Chisen 2017, 168).
A 55-year-old patient has hypertensive heart disease with congestive heart failure. What
code would be assigned?
a. I15.8, Other secondary hypertension
b. I11.0, Hypertensive heart disease with heart failure and I50.9, Heart failure,
unspecified
c. I50.9, Heart failure, unspecified and I15.0, Renovascular hypertension
Preparation 2026 Complete Questions
and Correct Detailed Answers (Verified
Answers) |Already Graded A+
Diagnostic-related groups (DRGs) and ambulatory patient classifications (APCs) are
similar in that they are both:
a. Determined by HCPCS codes
b. Focused on hospital outpatients
c. Focused on hospital inpatients
d. Prospective payment systems -CORRECTANSWER d. Prospective payment
systems
** Both are types of prospective payment systems (Casto and Forrestal 2015, 6).
A patient is treated for esophageal varices with hemorrhage due to cirrhosis. The
diagnostic codes that would be assigned are:
I85.01 Esophageal varices with bleeding
I85.11 Secondary esophageal varices with bleeding
K74.60 Unspecified cirrhosis of liver -CORRECTANSWER d. K74.60, I85.11
K74.60: Unspecified cirrhosis of liver
,I85.11:Secondary esophageal varices with bleeding
**The patient has cirrhosis of the liver with resulting bleeding esophageal varices.
Cirrhosis of liver is sequenced first followed by the code for the bleeding esophageal
varices (HHS 2017, Section I.A.13, 11).
Assign the code(s) for bronchoscopy with bilateral transbronchial biopsy for each lobe of
each lung.
31628 Bronchoscopy, rigid or flexible, including fluoroscopic guidance, when performed;
with transbronchial lung biopsy(s), single lobe
31629 Bronchoscopy, rigid or flexible, including fluoroscopic guidance, when performed;
with transbronchial needle aspiration biopsy(s), trachea, main stem and/or lobar
bronchus(i)
31632 Bronchoscopy, rigid or flexible, including fluoroscopic guidance, when performed;
with transbronchial lung biopsy(s), each additional lobe
−50 Bilateral procedure -CORRECTANSWER
Assign the code(s) for endoscopic sinusotomy with bilateral anterior ethmoidectomy.
31231 Nasal endoscopy, diagnostic, unilateral or bilateral (separate procedure)
31254 Nasal/sinus endoscopy, surgical; with ethmoidectomy, partial (anterior)
−50 Bilateral procedurea.
,a. 31254
b. 31254-50
c. 31254, 31254
d. 31231 -CORRECTANSWER b. 31254-50
31254 Nasal/sinus endoscopy, surgical; with ethmoidectomy, partial (anterior)
−50 Bilateral procedurea.
** A code for the anterior ethmoidectomy is assigned and to denote the bilateral
procedure, a modifier of -50 is added (CPT Assistant Winter 1993, 23; Jan. 1997, 4;
Sept. 1997, 10; Oct. 1997, 5; Dec. 2001, 6; May 2003, 5). The sinusotomy is not coded
separately, as it is a diagnostic procedure.
The most common language used for both data definition language and data
manipulation language is:
a. Unified modeling language
b. JAVA
c. Perl
d. Structured query language -CORRECTANSWER d. Structured query language
** Structured query language (SQL) is used commonly for data language and data
definitions (Sharp 2016, 184).
, An ethmoidectomy removes infected tissue and bone in the ethmoid sinuses that blocks
natural drainage. The surgeon views your ethmoid sinuses with an endoscope, a thin
flexible tube with a very small camera and light at the end of it. -CORRECTANSWER
Documentation from the nursing or other allied health professionals' notes can be used
to establish which of the following diagnoses:
a. Body mass index (BMI)
b. Malnutrition
c. Aspiration pneumonia
d. Fatigue -CORRECTANSWER a. Body mass index (BMI)
** The physician must establish the diagnosis—obesity or morbid obesity—and the
additional information can be pulled from ancillary documentation to establish the
correct code assignment for body mass index (BMI) (Leon-Chisen 2017, 168).
A 55-year-old patient has hypertensive heart disease with congestive heart failure. What
code would be assigned?
a. I15.8, Other secondary hypertension
b. I11.0, Hypertensive heart disease with heart failure and I50.9, Heart failure,
unspecified
c. I50.9, Heart failure, unspecified and I15.0, Renovascular hypertension
