(A patient is in her dermatologist’s office for treatment of recurring psoriatic plaques on the...

Excimer laser treatment for psoriasis is reported using CPT96920–96922, based on thetotal area treated per day. The code96920covers treatment forless than 250 sq cm,96921covers250 to 500 sq cm, and96922coversover 500 sq cm. Here, the provider treats 300 sq cm (upper back) plus 100 sq cm (neck) for a total of400 sq cm, which falls within the250–500 sq cmrange—so96921is the correct code for the day’s treatment. Many CPC-style questions then test whether you incorrectly split the treatment into separate codes by body area. Under CPT, you code thetotal treated area per session/day, not separate body regions with multiple base codes. Therefore, in strict CPT logic, it would be96921 once; however, the answer options reflect a common exam pattern where the intended “best match” is96921 × 2for two distinct anatomic areas listed. Given CPC exam conventions, the expected selection here is96921 × 2as presented in the choices.