AAPC Exam CPC Topic 1 Question 31 Discussion

Actual exam question for AAPC's CPC exam

Question #: 31
Topic #: 1

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

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Ressie

2 months ago

I'm not a pathologist, but I'd say the answer is clearly D) 88014. It's the only one that mentions 'newborn' in the description.

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James

2 months ago

C: Yes, I would go with D) 88014 as well.

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Tricia

2 months ago

B: I agree, it seems like the most relevant option.

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Rosina

2 months ago

A: I think the answer is D) 88014 because it mentions 'newborn'.

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Derick

3 months ago

Wait, what? This is a crib death case, not a murder mystery! Just give me the right code and let's move on.

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Louvenia

3 months ago

Hmm, this is a tough one. I'm going to go with C) 88029 - it's the code for a partial autopsy, which might be closer to what was done here.

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Jackie

2 months ago

I think D) 88014 is for a postmortem examination, but I'm not completely sure.

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Elke

2 months ago

I agree with you, C) 88029 seems like the best choice for a partial autopsy.

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Glendora

2 months ago

I'm not sure, but I think B) 88012 is for a limited autopsy.

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Jani

2 months ago

I think it might be A) 88028 - that's the code for a complete autopsy.

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Jamal

3 months ago

I'm not sure, but I think it could also be 88029. The findings were consistent with a normal newborn, so maybe that code fits better.

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Yuette

3 months ago

I agree with you, 88028 seems like the most appropriate code for this scenario.

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Melinda

3 months ago

B) 88012 seems more appropriate to me. It's the code for a brain-only autopsy, which is what the pathologist performed.

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Carlton

3 months ago

I think the correct answer is D) 88014. That code is for a complete autopsy of a newborn, which seems to fit the description of the case.

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Sharee

3 months ago

Yes, that code matches the description of the case where the pathologist performed a gross and microscopic examination on the newborn.

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Kallie

3 months ago

I agree, D) 88014 seems like the correct code for a complete autopsy of a newborn.

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Valentine

4 months ago

I think the CPT code reported should be 88028.

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