Question

question 6

a patient has been exposed to rabies. he has no signs or symptoms of infection. a test is performed to check for rabies in his blood. what code describes the necessity for the test?

b97.89
z20.3
z23
a82.9

Explanation:

Analyze the patient's clinical scenario

The patient has been exposed to rabies but currently exhibits no signs or symptoms of active infection. A blood test is performed to check for rabies.

Determine the appropriate ICD-10-CM coding category

Because the patient is asymptomatic and has had a known or suspected exposure to a communicable disease (rabies), the code must represent contact with or exposure to the infectious agent, rather than an active infection or vaccination.

Evaluate the given ICD-10-CM code options

• B97.89: Other viral agents as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere (used as an additional code, not for exposure).
• Z20.3: Contact with and (suspected) exposure to rabies (specifically describes exposure to rabies in an asymptomatic patient).
• Z23: Encounter for immunization (used for vaccination encounters, not exposure testing).
• A82.9: Rabies, unspecified (used for an active, confirmed rabies infection).

Answer:

• (A) B97.89
• (B) Z20.3 (Correct answer)
• (C) Z23
• (D) A82.9