AAPC CPC Exam - Topic 1 Question 31 Discussion

Actual exam question for AAPC's CPC exam

Question #: 31
Topic #: 1

[All CPC Questions]

A 3-day-old died in her sleep. The pediatrician determined this was the result of crib death syndrome. The parents give permission to refer the newborn for a necropsy. The pathologist receives the newborn with her brain and performs a gross and microscopic examination. The physician issues the findings and reports they are consistent with a normal female newborn.

What CPT code is reported?

A88028

B88012

C88029

D88014

Show Suggested Answer

Suggested Answer: A

Procedure: Gross and microscopic examination of a newborn autopsy.

CPT Code:

88028: This code is for the autopsy, gross and microscopic examination of a stillborn or newborn.

Code Selection Justification: The procedure described matches the comprehensive postmortem examination of a newborn.

AMA CPT Professional Edition (current year)

ICD-10-CM (current year)

HCPCS Level II (current year)

by Sheridan at Aug 27, 2024, 09:47 AM

Limited Time Offer

25%

Off

Get Premium CPC Questions as Interactive Web-Based Practice Test or PDF

Contribute your Thoughts:

Submit Cancel

Dorian

4 months ago

Why would they need a necropsy if the cause was crib death?

upvoted 0 times

...

Lavera

5 months ago

I’d go with 88012, seems more fitting for this case.

upvoted 0 times

...

Ozell

5 months ago

Wait, is it really that straightforward?

upvoted 0 times

...

Brittney

5 months ago

I think it’s definitely 88028 for the examination.

upvoted 0 times

...

Claudio

5 months ago

The necropsy findings were normal, so it’s likely a routine code.

upvoted 0 times

...

Danica

6 months ago

I thought 88014 was for a complete autopsy, but I’m confused about whether that fits the scenario of a newborn.

upvoted 0 times

...

Estrella

6 months ago

I remember that 88028 is for a specific type of cytopathology, but I don't know if it applies here.

upvoted 0 times

...

Justine

6 months ago

I practiced a question similar to this, and I feel like 88029 was mentioned for some kind of examination, but I'm not entirely sure.

upvoted 0 times

...

Art

6 months ago

I think the code for a necropsy is related to the examination type, but I can't remember if it's 88012 or 88014.

upvoted 0 times

...

Rosalind

6 months ago

This seems straightforward to me. Since the pathologist reported the findings as consistent with a normal newborn, the appropriate CPT code is D, 88014.

upvoted 0 times

...

Malcom

6 months ago

I feel pretty confident about this one. Based on the information provided, the pathologist's findings indicate a normal examination, so the correct CPT code would be A, 88028.

upvoted 0 times

...

Jolanda

6 months ago

I'm a bit confused by this question. The details about the crib death syndrome and the necropsy make me unsure which code would be most appropriate. I'll need to double-check the CPT code descriptions to make sure I select the right one.

upvoted 0 times

...

Dottie

6 months ago

Okay, let's see here. The key information seems to be that the pathologist performed a gross and microscopic examination of the newborn's brain and found the findings to be consistent with a normal female newborn. I think the answer is probably B, 88012.

upvoted 0 times

...

Shantay

6 months ago

Hmm, this seems like a tricky one. I'll need to carefully review the details about the newborn's condition and the pathologist's findings to determine the appropriate CPT code.

upvoted 0 times

...