Medical Coding practice questions and answers 2026. Tap an option to test yourself — you'll see the correct answer and a plain-English explanation for every question. Free, no login.
Q1George, a 32-year-old male hospital to the clinic with weakness, sore arms and legs. He mentions that he has had these symptoms for 6 months. He also mentions the loss of hair texture and bleeding gums on brushing. The physician mentions a lack of Vitamin C in his diet suggesting ascorbic acid deficiency.<br/><br/>What is the correct ICD-10 code for his condition?
✓ Correct answer: D. E54
E54 is the correct code for this case because it codes for ascorbic acid deficiency. As there is a lack of vitamin C in his dietary intake therefore the symptoms relate to ascorbic acid deficiency.<br/><br/>Option A is not correct because E53.0 is used to code for riboflavin deficiency.<br/><br/>Option C is not correct because E53.9 is used to code for Vitamin B deficiency, unspecified.<br/><br/>Option D is not correct because E53.1 is used to code for pyridoxine deficiency.
Q2The patient has olecranon bursitis in an unspecified elbow. <br/><br/>Which of the following is the proper diagnosis code?
✓ Correct answer: C. M70.20.
Because it is the proper code. The other answers cannot be correct because the code does not match with the patient’s issue or the diagnosis. Instead, the other codes match with the same issue for a different limb or a different medical problem altogether. M70.21 is code for olecranon bursitis in the right elbow. M70.22 is code for olecranon bursitis in the left elbow. M70.2 is code for the category of olecranon bursitis.
Q3When reporting the time involved for an anesthesia procedure when do you start and stop the clock? What is the correct answer?
✓ Correct answer: C. Time starts when the patient is in the operating room and the anesthesiologist begins to prepare the patient for the induction of the anesthesia and ends when the anesthesiologist is no longer in attendance after reporting to the nurses in the PACU (post-anesthesia care unit).
Time starts when the anesthesiologist is present when he/she begins to prepare the patient for induction of anesthesia in the operating room (or equivalent area) and ends when the anesthesiologist is no longer in personal attendance.<br/><br/>Answer A is incorrect because the anesthesiologist wasn’t present when the time first began and ended at the end of surgery, not at the end of the anesthesiologist’s attendance.<br/><br/>Answer B is incorrect because the time ended at the surgery end time and not at the end of the anesthesiologist’s attendance.<br/><br/>Answer D is incorrect because the time started before the anesthesiologist was in attendance.
Q4Which anesthesia add-on code is used for anesthesia complicated by utilization of controlled hypotension – 5 extra units?
✓ Correct answer: D. +99135.
+99100: Anesthesia for patient of extreme age (younger than 1 year and older than 70) – 1 extra unit.<br/><br/>+99116: Anesthesia complicated by utilization of total body hypothermia – 5 extra units.<br/><br/>+99135: Anesthesia complicated by utilization of controlled hypotension – 5 extra units.<br/><br/>+99140: Anesthesia complicated by emergency conditions (specify) – 2 extra units.
Q5What is special about services provided in a patient’s home?
✓ Correct answer: D. Answers A and B are both correct about in home patient care services
Both A and B are correct. Services provided within the home by someone part of an agency are considered facility services. Services provided by a physician or provider who is not part of an agency are not facility services, they are termed “non-facility” services.
Q6A patient is being set up with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine upon arriving to the unit from the emergency department.<br/><br/>What is the correct code for CPAP ventilation initiation and management?
✓ Correct answer: A. 94660
94660 is the correct code for initiation and management of CPAP ventilation.<br/><br/>Codes 94644 and 94645 are incorrect because these codes refer to continuous inhalation treatment with aerosol medication.<br/><br/>Code 94662 is incorrect because this code is for continuous negative pressure ventilation initiation and management.
Q7Which of these codes is used to indicate adult and child abuse, neglect and other maltreatment, suspected?
✓ Correct answer: C. T76.
T74 - adult and child abuse, neglect and other maltreatment, confirmed<br/><br/>T76 – adult and child abuse, neglect and other maltreatment, suspected<br/><br/>Z04.71 – encounter for examination and observation following alleged physical adult abuse<br/><br/>Z04.72 – encounter for examination and observation following alleged physical child abuse.
Q8A patient has a local infection that is present on admission. The patient goes on to develop sepsis, including kidney failure and heart failure.<br/><br/>What diagnosis is listed first?
✓ Correct answer: C. Local infection
According to ICD-10-CM official coding guideline 1. C.1.d.1 the local infection is sequenced first, followed by sepsis codes and organ dysfunction.
Q9A 78-year-old woman has to have biopsies done of her right lower lung infiltrate. She is scheduled for a thoracoscopy where a wedge biopsy will be taken of the right lower lobe. Which code should you use for this procedure?
✓ Correct answer: C. 32607
32607 is the correct code for a unilateral infiltrate and requires a thoracoscopy with wedge biopsy.<br/><br/>Code 32601 is incorrect because this is for a thoracoscopy without biopsies.<br/><br/>Code 32608 is incorrect because this includes a biopsy of masses or nodules.<br/><br/>Code 32650 is incorrect because this code is for a surgical thoracoscopy with pleurodesis.
Q10A 2-month-old male with diphtheria presented to the hospital with severe respiratory distress. The emergency department physician performed a pulse oximetry and discovered that the patient’s blood oxygen level was in the 60’s. The on-call physician ordered an emergency endotracheal intubation to restore oxygen flow to the infant. Once the airflow was established, care was transferred to the on-call pediatrician.<br/><br/>What is the appropriate code for the emergency department procedure(s)?
✓ Correct answer: D. 31500, 94760-51
The appropriate code for the emergency department procedures are 31500 for (Intubation, Endotracheal, Emergency Procedure) and 94760, for the pulse oximetry. The pulse ox was a multiple procedure, so it should be appended with modifier -51.<br/><br/>Code 31603 is not the appropriate code because it refers to a tracheostomy. These two procedures are often confused in coding but the code for an endotracheal intubation is within the larynx section and the code for the tracheostomy is within the trachea section.
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