CPC Exam Dumps : Certified Professional Coder (CPC) Exam

The correct answer is A. 72050. Modifier 26 is used to report the professional component of a service when the provider performs only the physician work portion, such as interpretation and report, and not the technical portion of the service. This modifier is commonly applicable to diagnostic services that may be divided into professional and technical components. Radiology services are the classic example because one entity may perform the imaging study using equipment and staff, while a physician separately interprets the images and issues the report. Medicare guidance also describes modifier 26 as appropriate when a physician interprets a test but does not perform the technical portion, especially for radiology services such as X-rays.

Code 72050 is a diagnostic radiology CPT® code for a cervical spine X-ray study, which supports a professional and technical component split. By contrast, 99283 is an emergency department E/M code, 90460 is immunization administration, and 93042 already represents interpretation/report work, so modifier 26 is not the best choice for those options.

Reference topics: CPC Modifiers; CPT Appendix A Modifier 26; Radiology Coding; Professional Component versus Technical Component.

In this encounter, the correct coding order follows ICD-10-CM guidelines for coding multiple conditions when AIDS (B20) is documented, as it takes precedence. The patient ' s diagnosis of AIDS, documented with code B20, is reported as the primary diagnosis since it is a chronic condition. The M17.31 code is used to document unilateral primary osteoarthritis of the right knee, unrelated to AIDS but causing the patient ' s knee pain.

Explanation of each answer choice:

A. B20, M17.31: Correctly lists AIDS (B20) as the primary diagnosis and osteoarthritis of the right knee (M17.31) as the secondary diagnosis.

B. Z21, M08.861: Z21 represents asymptomatic HIV, not AIDS, which is incorrect here, and M08.861 is the code for juvenile idiopathic arthritis, not relevant in this case.

C. M17.11, B20: Incorrect as M17.11 is for unilateral primary osteoarthritis of the right knee, not left, and does not prioritize B20 as required.

D. M17.31, B20: Incorrect because it does not list B20 as the primary diagnosis, which is necessary per coding guidelines when AIDS is documented.

Thus, the correct answer is A. B20, M17.31.

60220 = Total lobectomy, unilateral thyroid

60500 = Parathyroidectomy (single gland)

Modifier -59 is appropriate to indicate a distinct procedure