Bacteremia, Septicemia, SIRS, Sepsis, Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock
Webinar Post-Test Answer Key
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I prefer not to take the test, but would like the AHIMA CE certification for listening to the webinar.
Instructions
Registered Health Information Technicians, Registered Health Information Administrators, Certified Coding Specialists
and Certified Coding Specialists--Physician-based may earn one hour of continuing education credit toward AHIMA’s
continuing education requirement by completing this test with a minimum score of 70%.
Note: The answers to the questions can be found in the presentation and included handouts. The number of spaces
provided for some answers does not necessarily reflect the correct number of answers for the question.
Fill in the Blank Questions
1. Bacteremia is presence of bacteria in the blood and is usually transient. Slide 2
2. If the documentation states streptococcal septicemia then only code 038.0 should be assigned. Slide 6
3. SIRS is a systemic response to infection, trauma, or other insult, such as cancer, that includes symptoms of fever,
tachycardia, tachypnea, and leukocytosis. Slide 9
4. Sepsis refers to SIRS due to infection with symptoms including fever, tachycardia, tachypnea, and leukocytosis.
Slide 10
5. Severe Sepsis refers to sepsis due to an infectious process with associated acute organ dysfunction. Slide 11
6. Urosepsis refers to a nonspecific term. It is pyuria in the urine not the blood. Slide 26
7. Since septic shock indicates the presence of severe sepsis, code 995.92, Severe sepsis, can be assigned, even if the
term severe sepsis is not documented in the record. Slide 24
8. The code for septic shock is a symptom code and is coded even though the underlying definitive diagnosis is known.
Slide 23
9. When a localized infection is due to a specific organism, one cannot assume the sepsis is also due to that same
organism. Unless the physician is queried to determine if the sepsis is also due to that same organism, the sepsis would
be coded as 038.9 Unspecified septicemia. Slide 31
10. When a localized infection is due to a specific organism, and the blood cultures are growing the same organism, one
can assume the sepsis is also due to that organism. Slide 32
True or False Questions
1. A code from Category 995.9 is never assigned as a principal diagnosis. Sepsis or SIRS must be documented in order to
code from this category. True Slide 13
2. If the reason for admission is both sepsis, severe sepsis, or SIRS and a localized infection, such as pneumonia or
cellulitis, the localized infection is coded first. False Slide 29
3. If urosepsis is documented code 599.0 UTI followed by a code for the systemic infection (038.9). False Slide 26
4. The connection between the acute organ dysfunction and the sepsis must be documented in order to code severe
sepsis if there is not septic shock. True Slide 11
5. When a non-infectious condition leads to an infection resulting in sepsis or severe sepsis, assign 2 codes from
Category 995.9, one for the sepsis followed by a code for SIRS due to non-infectious process. False Slide 18
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