AHPREP-CBCS · CBCS — Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (NHA)·UnitAHPREP-CBCS · Unit 03Access: Premium
Unit 3: ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Coding
Prepare for Unit 3: ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Coding with practice questions covering 9 topics. Part of CBCS — Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (NHA) — build your knowledge and track your progress with AH Prep.
What’s in it.
9 topics- Topic 01
ICD-10-CM Structure — Tabular List, Index, and Conventions
16 questions - Topic 02
Official Coding Guidelines — Section I (General) Outpatient and Inpatient Rules
15 questions - Topic 03
Signs and Symptoms vs Confirmed Diagnoses
15 questions - Topic 04
Sequencing Principal and Additional Diagnoses
15 questions - Topic 05
Coding Chronic Conditions, Acute Exacerbations, and Combination Codes
15 questions - Topic 06
Coding Injuries — External Cause Codes, Episode of Care, and Trauma
21 questions - Topic 07
Coding Neoplasms — Behaviour, Morphology, and Metastasis
15 questions - Topic 08
Coding Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Puerperium
15 questions - Topic 09
Z Codes — Factors Influencing Health Status and Contact with Health Services
15 questions
Sample questions
3 of manyA few questions from this unit, with the answer and a full explanation. The complete bank is available when you start practising.
A patient with type 2 diabetes uses long-term insulin. Which additional Z code is required alongside the diabetes code?
- Z79.899 — Long-term use of other medication
- No Z code is required; the E11 code alone captures insulin use
- Z79.4 — Long-term (current) use of insulinCorrect answer
- Z51.81 — Encounter for therapeutic drug level monitoring
ExplanationPer ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines Section I.C.4, when a patient with type 2 diabetes uses long-term insulin, code Z79.4 (long-term use of insulin) is required as an additional code alongside the E11 diabetes code. This distinguishes a type 2 diabetic who requires insulin from one managed by oral agents or diet alone, which is clinically significant for care management and risk adjustment. Key takeaway: Z79.4 must be added whenever a type 2 diabetic is on long-term insulin therapy.
What is the UHDDS definition of principal diagnosis for inpatient encounters?
- The condition that received the most treatment during the inpatient stay
- The admitting diagnosis documented at the time of hospital registration
- The condition listed first in the attending physician's discharge summary
- The condition established after study to be chiefly responsible for occasioning the admissionCorrect answer
ExplanationThe Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Set (UHDDS) defines principal diagnosis as 'the condition established after study to be chiefly responsible for occasioning the admission of the patient to the hospital for care.' This definition emphasises that it is determined after diagnostic workup and may differ from the admitting diagnosis. Key takeaway: Principal diagnosis = condition responsible for the admission, established after workup — not necessarily the admitting complaint.
What is the correct two-step process for assigning an ICD-10-CM code?
- Search the patient's prior claim history for the most recently used code, then verify currency
- Locate the code in the Alphabetic Index and assign it directly without further verification
- First, locate the term in the Alphabetic Index to find a tentative code; then verify and finalise the code in the Tabular ListCorrect answer
- First, look up the code in the Tabular List; then confirm it in the Alphabetic Index
ExplanationThe ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines require a mandatory two-step process: (1) locate the main term in the Alphabetic Index to identify a tentative code, then (2) verify that code in the Tabular List to review all instructional notes. Coding directly from the Index without Tabular verification is explicitly prohibited. Key takeaway: Index first (tentative code), Tabular second (verify and finalise) — never skip either step.