Question

multiple choice question

if the ______ see appears after a main term, the coder must look up the term that follows the word see in the index.

• eponym
• main term
• subterm
• cross-reference

Explanation:

Identify the core medical coding convention

The question asks about the term used when the instruction "see" appears after a main term in the index, directing the coder to look up a different term. In medical coding (such as ICD-10-CM), instructions like "see" and "see also" are known as cross-references.

Analyze the given options

• eponym: A disease, structure, or procedure named after a person.
• main term: The primary entry word used to locate codes in the Alphabetic Index.
• subterm: A word indented under a main term that modifies or adds specificity to the main term.
• cross-reference: An instruction (like "see") directing the coder to another term in the index.

Apply the matched concept

Using the ICD-10 Cross-Referencing knowledge point, the word "see" is a mandatory instruction that serves as a cross-reference. Therefore, the correct term to fill in the blank is "cross-reference".

Answer:

• eponym
• main term
• subterm
• cross-reference (Correct answer)