Medical Coding exam 1 questions and
answers already passed
What is coding? - correct answer ✔✔The application of a number of systems used to uniformly
document and track health care services delivered.
Used for:
Billing & reimbursement
practice profiling
Quality measurement
importance of documentation - correct answer ✔✔required for payment. It provides the
justification & support for the procedures and services you render by making the medical
necessity of your service clear to the 3rd party
Why Code? - correct answer ✔✔It's how we get paid.
Optimal Reimbursement
Avoid denials/delay in payment
Avoid audit by coding properly
Documentation must support code
"If it isn't documented, you didn't do it"
ICD-9 CM codes - correct answer ✔✔International Classification Of Disease, 9th Revision,
Clinical Modifications
, Initially developed by the World Health Organization as a way to report morbidity and mortality
statistics worldwide
Not initially meant to be used for billing purposes
Maintained and updated yearly by the National Center for Health Statistics
ICD-9 characteristics - correct answer ✔✔Codes are a series of 3-5 numbers, the last two
numbers separated by a decimal (111.11)
3 digits before decimal = general category
2 digits post decimal = specific description
(4th Digit = Subcategory)
(5th Digit = Subclassification)
Codes are divided into 17 primary chapters
Separated out by body systems etc.
NEC - Not Elsewhere Classifiable - correct answer ✔✔can be used in two instances:
1) not enough info available to determine which specific diagnosis code should be used in
situations where ICD-9 provides very specific diagnoses.
2) The coder has specific information about the diagnosis that is not an option in the choice of
ICD-9 codes
NOS - Not Otherwise Specified - correct answer ✔✔Means Unspecified (don't know yet)
Used when the coder does not have enough information to select a more definitive diagnosis
(ie. Cultures are pending)
Coding Rules - correct answer ✔✔*Code to the highest level of certainty at that visit.
answers already passed
What is coding? - correct answer ✔✔The application of a number of systems used to uniformly
document and track health care services delivered.
Used for:
Billing & reimbursement
practice profiling
Quality measurement
importance of documentation - correct answer ✔✔required for payment. It provides the
justification & support for the procedures and services you render by making the medical
necessity of your service clear to the 3rd party
Why Code? - correct answer ✔✔It's how we get paid.
Optimal Reimbursement
Avoid denials/delay in payment
Avoid audit by coding properly
Documentation must support code
"If it isn't documented, you didn't do it"
ICD-9 CM codes - correct answer ✔✔International Classification Of Disease, 9th Revision,
Clinical Modifications
, Initially developed by the World Health Organization as a way to report morbidity and mortality
statistics worldwide
Not initially meant to be used for billing purposes
Maintained and updated yearly by the National Center for Health Statistics
ICD-9 characteristics - correct answer ✔✔Codes are a series of 3-5 numbers, the last two
numbers separated by a decimal (111.11)
3 digits before decimal = general category
2 digits post decimal = specific description
(4th Digit = Subcategory)
(5th Digit = Subclassification)
Codes are divided into 17 primary chapters
Separated out by body systems etc.
NEC - Not Elsewhere Classifiable - correct answer ✔✔can be used in two instances:
1) not enough info available to determine which specific diagnosis code should be used in
situations where ICD-9 provides very specific diagnoses.
2) The coder has specific information about the diagnosis that is not an option in the choice of
ICD-9 codes
NOS - Not Otherwise Specified - correct answer ✔✔Means Unspecified (don't know yet)
Used when the coder does not have enough information to select a more definitive diagnosis
(ie. Cultures are pending)
Coding Rules - correct answer ✔✔*Code to the highest level of certainty at that visit.
