Medical Coding Interview Questions With Answers

Before attending a medical coding  Interview it is important to prepare for the Interview  so that  you can properly show your professional expertise in medical coding.

Few Medical coding interview questions with example answers are given below: 

1. What is medical coding?

Medical coding is the transformation of healthcare diagnosis, procedures, medical services, and equipment into universal medical alphanumeric codes. The diagnosis and procedure codes are taken from medical record documentation, such as transcription of physician's notes, laboratory and radiologic results, etc.

2.Explain any 2 Guidelines

Prepare  Hypertension, Diabetes, HIV, AIDS, Sepsis, Neoplasm, CKD Guidelines from your Books

3. What is COPD?

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an umbrella term used to describe progressive lung diseases including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, refractory (non-reversible) asthma, and some forms of bronchiectasis. This disease is characterized by increasing breathlessness. 

4.Function of  Pineal gland

The Pineal gland produces melatonin, which helps maintain circadian rhythm and regulate reproductive hormones.

5.Longest and Strongest bone

Longest and Strongest Bone-femur

6.  Outer layers of heart

 

The wall of the heart consists of three layers: the epicardium (external layer), the myocardium (middle layer) and the endocardium (inner layer). The epicardium is the thin, transparent outer layer of the wall and is composed of delicate connective tissue.

7. Function of Retina

The retina is a thin layer of tissue that lines the back of the eye on the inside. It is located near the optic nerve. The purpose of the retina is to receive light that the lens has focused, convert the light into neural signals, and send these signals on to the brain for visual recognition.

8. Diff between thrombosis & embolism

A thrombus is a blood clot that forms in a vein. An embolus is anything that travels through the blood vessels until it reaches a vessel that is too small to let it pass. When this happens, the blood flow is stopped by the embolus. An embolus is often a small piece of a blood clot that breaks off (thromboembolus)

9. Function of spleen and location of spleen

 It acts as a filter for blood as part of the immune system. Old red blood cells are recycled in the spleen, and platelets and white blood cells are stored there. The spleen also helps fight certain kinds of bacteria that cause pneumonia and meningitis.

The spleen is located under the ribcage and above the stomach in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen.

10.Difference between COPD and Emphysema

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an umbrella term that includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and sometimes asthma.

Emphysema is usually the direct result of years of smoking cigarettes. It affects people who are middle-aged or elderly. Chronic bronchitis, which can occur earlier in life, also can be caused by smoking.

11.   Myocardial infarction

 

Myocardial infarction (MI) or acute myocardial infarction (AMI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow stops to a part of the heart causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may travel into the shoulder, arm, back, neck, or jaw.

12.What is Antepartum?

Antepartum means "before birth." The antepartum period is also called the prenatal period. The antepartum period begins when a woman's pregnancy is diagnosed and ends once the baby is born.

13. What is Puerperium?

 The period between childbirth and the return of the uterus to its normal size.

14.What is Postpartum?

A postpartum period or postnatal period is the period beginning immediately after the birth of a child and extending for about six weeks.

15.What is Miscarriage?

Miscarriage, also known as spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss, is the natural death of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive independently

16.What is Septic Abortion

A septic abortion or septic miscarriage is a form of miscarriage that is associated with a serious uterine infection. The infection carries risk of spreading infection to other parts of the body and cause

sepsis, a grave risk to the life of the woman.

17.What is ischemia 

 

An inadequate blood supply to an organ or part of the body, especially the heart muscles.

 

18.Explain Hypertension condition?

 

High blood pressure is a common condition in which the long-term force of the blood against your artery walls is high enough that it may eventually cause health problems, such as heart disease.

 

19.What is White Coat Hypertension?

 

A syndrome whereby a patient's feeling of anxiety in a medical environment results in an abnormally high reading when their blood pressure is measured. 

 

20.Role of large intestine in digestion 

 

 Major function of the large intestine. The major function of the large intestine is to absorb water from the remaining indigestible food matter and transmit the useless waste material from the body.

21.What is Mastication - Chewing 

 

Mastication or chewing is the process by which food is crushed and ground by teeth. It is the first step of digestion, and it increases the surface area of foods to allow more efficient breakdown by enzymes. During the mastication process, the food is positioned by the cheek and tongue between the teeth for grinding.

 

22.What are burns?

 

A burn is a type of injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, friction, or radiation.

Burns that affect only the superficial skin layers are known as superficial or first-degree burns. They appear red without blisters and pain typically lasts around three days. When the injury extends into some of the underlying skin layer, it is a partial-thickness or second-degree burn.

23. What is Diabetes Mellitus

 

Diabetes mellitus (DM), commonly referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which there are high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period

 

24.What is juvenile diabetes

 

A chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin.

 

25.What is orthopnea 

 

Orthopnea or orthopnea is shortness of breath that occurs when lying flat, causing the person to have to sleep propped up in bed or sitting in a chair. It is commonly seen as a late manifestation of heart failure, resulting from fluid redistribution into the central circulation, causing an increase in pulmonary

capillary pressure. It is also seen in cases of abdominal obesity or pulmonary disease.

 

26.What is Neoplasm

Neoplasm is an abnormal growth of tissue and when it also forms a mass is commonly referred to as a tumor. This abnormal growth (neoplasia) usually but not always forms a m

27.What is multiple Sclerosis

8.Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a Demyelinating disease in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged.[1] This damage disrupts the ability of parts of the nervous system to communicate, resulting in a range of signs and symptoms, including physical, mental, and sometimes psychiatric problems

28. What is adverse effect

 

In medicine, an adverse effect is an undesired harmful effect resulting from a medication or other intervention such as surgery.

29.what is cholecystitis

Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder. The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ connected to the liver, on the right side of the abdomen, which stores bile and releases it into the small intestine to help in the digestion of fat.

 

30.What is Hypertension

 

Abnormally high blood pressure. a state of great psychological stress

 

31.What is microsystem

 

The microsystem is a child's immediate surroundings. The idea of the microsystem is a part of the ecological systems theory, which says that a child's development is best understood by examining the context of the child's environmental influences.

 

32.What is Pneumothorax

 

The presence of air or gas in the cavity between the lungs and the chest wall, causing collapse of the lung.

 

33.The oxygenated blood does not have reverse flow to the heart. Why?

 

Veins have valves which stop the blood from flowing backward. Compared to the arteries, pressure in the veins is very low. The blood is being pushed through the arteries as the heart squeezes the blood out. This is not true for the veins. Blood is pushed through the veins when body muscles contract and squeeze the veins. In this way the blood moves.

 

34.What is olecranon bone

 

Elbow (Olecranon) Fractures-OrthoInfo - AAOS. When you bend your elbow, you can easily feel its "tip," a bony prominence that extends from one of the lower arm bones (the ulna).

 35. HIV

 

HIV is a virus that gradually attacks the immune system, which is our body’s natural defense against illness. If a person becomes infected with HIV, they will find it harder to fight off infections and diseases. The virus destroys a type of white blood cell called a T-helper cell and makes copies of itself inside them. T-helper cells are also referred to as CD4 cells 

 

36.Normal heart beat rate

 

For adults 18 and older, a normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm), depending on the person's physical condition and age. For children ages 6 to 15, the normal resting heart rate is between 70 and 100 bpm, according to the AHA

 

 

37.What is septic shock ?

 

Septic Shock is a serious medical condition that occurs when sepsis, which is organ injury or damage in response to infection, leads to dangerously low blood pressure and abnormalities in cellular metabolism. The primary infection is most commonly by bacteria, but can also be by fungi, viruses, or parasites, and can be located in any part of the body, but most commonly in the lungs, brain,urinary tract, skin, or abdominal organs. It can cause multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (formerly known as multiple organ failure) and death. Its most common victims are children, immunocompromised individuals, and the elderly, as their immune systems cannot deal with infection as effectively as those of healthy adults. Frequently, patients suffering from septic shock are cared for in intensive care units. The mortality rate from septic shock is approximately 25–50%.

 

38.Cranial Nerves

Each of twelve pairs of nerves which arise directly from the brain, not from the spinal cord, and pass through separate apertures in the skull.

 

39. Thrombosis

 

Local coagulation or clotting of the blood in a part of the circulatory system

 

40. Diff between new patient & established patient

 

“A new patient is one who has not received any professional services from the physician or another physician of the exact same specialty and subspecialty in the same group practices, within the past three years.”

 

“An established patient has received professional services from the same physician or another physician in the same specialty and subspecialty in the same group practices, within the past three years.”

 

41. Hemothorax

 

A hemothorax (hemo- + thorax) (or haemothorax/Hemorrhagic pleural effusion) is a type of pleural effusion in which blood accumulates in the pleural cavity. This excess fluid can interfere with normal breathing by limiting the expansion of the lungs.

 

42.Diff between Anatomy & Physiology

 

Students of anatomy learn about the structure of body parts, while those enrolled in physiology study the functions and relationships of body parts

 

 

43. Sprain

 

A sprain, more commonly known as a torn ligament, is damage to one or more ligaments in a joint, often caused by trauma or the joint being taken beyond its functional range of motion.

 

44.Endometriosis

 

Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue that normally grows inside the uterus grows outside it.[1] The main symptoms are pelvic pain and infertility. Nearly half of those affected have chronic pelvic pain

 

45.Benign

 

A tumor is an abnormal growth of cells that serves no purpose. A benign tumor is not a malignant tumor, which is cancer. It does not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body the way cancer can. In most cases, the outlook with benign tumors is very good. But benign tumors can be serious if they press on vital structures such as blood vessels or nerves.

 

 

46.Dislocation

 

In materials science, a dislocation is a crystallographic defect, or irregularity, within a crystal structure. The presence of dislocations strongly influences many of the properties of materials.

47.What is CVA and explain

 

The sudden death of some brain cells due to lack of oxygen when the blood flow to the brain is impaired by blockage or rupture of an artery to the brain. A CVA is also referred to as a stroke.

 

Symptoms of a stroke depend on the area of the brain affected. The most common symptom is weakness or paralysis of one side of the body with partial or complete loss of voluntary movement or sensation in a leg or arm. There can be speech problems and weak face muscles, causing drooling. Numbness or tingling is very common. A stroke involving the base of the brain can affect balance, vision, and swallowing, breathing and even unconsciousness.

48. Malignancy

A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and can invade nearby tissues.

Malignant cells can also spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems. There are several main types of malignancy. Carcinoma is a malignancy that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs. Sarcoma is a malignancy that begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissue. Leukemia is a malignancy that starts in blood-forming tissue, such as the bone marrow, and causes large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the blood. Lymphoma and multiple myeloma are malignancies that begin in the cells of the immune system. Central nervous system cancers are malignancies that begin in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord. Also called cancer.

49.Fracture

 

A bone fracture (sometimes abbreviated FRX or Fx, Fx, or #) is a medical condition in which there is damage in the continuity of the bone.

 

50. Metatarsal

 

The metatarsal bones, or metatarsus are a group of five long bones in the foot, located between the tarsal bones of the hind- and midfoot and the phalanges of the toes

 

51   Metacarpal

 

In human anatomy, the metacarpal bones or metacarpus, form the intermediate part of the skeletal hand located between the phalanges of the fingers and the carpal bones of the wrist which forms the connection to the forearm. The metacarpal bones are equivalent to the metatarsal bones in the foot.

52.Bursitis

Bursitis is the inflammation of one or more bursae (small sacs) of synovial fluid in the body. They are lined with a synovial membrane that secretes a lubricating synovial fluid.

53. Rhinorrhea

Rhinorrhea or rhinorrhoea is a condition where the nasal cavity is filled with a significant amount of mucus fluid. The condition, commonly known as a runny nose, occurs relatively frequently. Rhinorrhea is a common symptom of allergies (hay fever) or certain diseases, such as the common cold.

54. Diff between thrombosis & embolism

A thrombus is a blood clot that forms in a vein. An embolus is anything that travels through the blood vessels until it reaches a vessel that is too small to let it pass. When this happens, the blood flow is stopped by the embolus. An embolus is often a small piece of a blood clot that breaks off (thromboembolus)

55.  Femur Bone

The femur or thighbone, is the most proximal (closest to the center of the body) bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs.

56. Diff between adverse effect & poisoning

 

A.    Adverse Effect- Adverse effects of therapeutic substances correctly prescribed and properly administered (toxicity, synergistic reaction, side effect, and idiosyncratic reaction) may be due to (1) differences among patients, such as age, sex, disease, and genetic factors, and (2) drug-related factors, such as type of drug, route of administration, duration of therapy, dosage, and bioavailability. properly administered. The effect, such as tachycardia, delirium, gastrointestinal hemorrhaging, vomiting.

 

B.    Poisoning- Poisoning when an error was made in drug prescription or in the administration of the drug by physician, nurse, patient, or other person,. If a non prescribed drug or medicinal agent was taken in combination with a correctly prescribed and properly administered drug, any drug toxicity or other reaction resulting from the interaction of the two drugs would be classified as a poisoning.

57. Wheezing

 

Wheezing is a high-pitched whistling sound during breathing. It occurs when air moves through narrowed breathing tubes in the lungs.Wheezing is a sign that a person may be having breathing problems. The sound of wheezing is most obvious when breathing out (exhaling).

 

Causes of wheezing may include any of the following:

Asthma

Breathing a foreign object into the lungs

Bronchiectasis

 

 

58.Principal diagnosis

 

Principal diagnosis- The diagnosis that is found, after testing and study, to be the main reason for the patient's need for health care services.

 

59.Combination codes

A combination code is a single code used to classify two diagnoses, a diagnosis with an associated secondary process (manifestation), or a diagnosis with an associated complication

60. The heart makes lub dub sound. Why?

Heart sounds are the noises generated by the beating heart and the resultant flow of blood through it, there are two normal heart sounds often described as a lub and a dub (or dup), that occur in sequence with each heartbeat. These are the first heart sound (S1) and second heart sound (S2), produced by the closing of the atrioventricular valves and semilunar valves

 

61. Haematuria

 

Hematuria or  haematuria, is the presence of red blood cells (erythrocytes) in the urine.

 

62.Secondary diabetes mellitus

 

Secondary diabetes can be subdivided into single-gene disorders affecting insulin secretion or resistance, damage to the exocrine pancreas, other endocrine disease, drug-induced diabetes, uncommon manifestations of autoimmune diabetes, and genetic syndromes associated with diabetes

 

63. Gestational Diabetes

 

Gestational diabetes also known as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), is a condition in which women without previously diagnosed diabetes exhibit high blood glucose (blood sugar) levels during pregnancy (especially during their third trimester).

 

64. Postpartum period – 3 weeks

 

Postpartum  period – 3 weeks -  Approximately 70% of women have their normal menstrual period roughly 6 to 12 weeks after giving birth. The period should only last for 3 to 6 days. Postpartum bleeding, on the other hand, starts almost immediately after the childbirth and can last for several weeks before tapering off.

 

 

65 .How do you code Urosepsis

In HR Round Questions like below will be asked:

1. Tell me about yourself

2. What do you know about Medical Coding ?

3. Why do you want to join Medical Coding ?

4. Why do you want to join xxxxxx Company(To whatever company you have attend for Interview) 

5. How much are you expecting ?

6. Tell  me  about  your  strengths

7.  Tell  me  about  your  weakness

Note : You can watch CPC certification Exam pattern here: