COC (Formerly CPC-H) case studies
COC (Formerly CPC-H) · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Certified Outpatient Coder (COC™) - the credential formerly known as CPC-H - is the outpatient hospital and facility coding certification offered by AAPC. It validates that a coder can assign ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes, CPT® procedure codes, and HCPCS Level II supply codes accurately for outpatient encounters such as same-day surgery, endoscopy, emergency department visits, observation services, and hospital-based clinic diagnostics and therapeutics, in compliance with official guidelines and payer requirements. The COC (Formerly CPC-H) case studies are 5 cases and about 3,233 words.
1Chest Pain Rule-Out: Splitting ED and Observation Across Midnight
A 58-year-old man arrives in the emergency department at 23:15 on March 3 with substernal chest pain. Two troponins drawn four hours apart are negative, and the ECG shows no acute ischemic changes.
629 words, about 3 min2Aborted Cholecystectomy After Induction
A 44-year-old woman is scheduled for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a hospital outpatient surgery department. After general anesthesia is induced and the patient is positioned, she develops sustained ventricular tachycardia.
637 words, about 3 min3Urosepsis or UTI? Conflicting Documentation and the Query That Must Come First
A 71-year-old woman is admitted from the ED with two days of dysuria and new confusion. ED vitals: temperature 39.1°C, heart rate 118, respiratory rate 24, blood pressure 88/52 that responds to a 1 L crystalloid bolus, WBC 14.2, lactate 2.4 mmol/L.
693 words, about 3 min4Screening Colonoscopy That Turns Therapeutic
A 68-year-old Medicare beneficiary with no GI symptoms and no family history presents for a screening colonoscopy. The physician documents 'average-risk screening for colorectal cancer,' reaches the cecum, finds a 12 mm sessile polyp in the transverse colon, and removes it by snare polypectomy.
616 words, about 3 min5Vitamin D, a Missing ABN, and a Bill Sent to the Patient
A 52-year-old Medicare patient comes to the hospital outpatient laboratory with orders for a 25-hydroxy vitamin D test (CPT 82306) and a lipid panel, placed during a wellness visit. The only diagnosis on the order is 'fatigue, R53.83.' The hospital's coverage review shows 82306 is covered for chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis/osteopenia, malabsorption, and a short list of other conditions - not for fatigue alone.
658 words, about 3 min