Final answer:
The student is expected to learn how to use the CPT index to locate medical codes, verify them, and apply modifiers when necessary. ICD codes are commonly found in medical laboratories and health-care management systems for diagnostic and treatment verification purposes.
Step-by-step explanation:
At the conclusion of the assignment on medical coding and billing, a student should be capable of efficiently utilizing the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) index to find specific procedure and service codes, and then confirming those codes in the respective section of the CPT manual. Additionally, they should be adept at applying the correct modifiers to reflect any special circumstances that were documented in a patient's medical case. For instance, a patient being treated for a viral infection would have their clinical interventions and procedures recorded using specific ICD codes. These same ICD codes are then utilized by various facets of the healthcare system, including medical coders and billers, vital-records keepers, and epidemiologists for various purposes such as diagnosing, billing, recording death causes, and analyzing health statistics.
Two locations where you would likely find an ICD code would be in the medical laboratories for identifying necessary tests and in the health-care management systems for verifying the appropriateness of the performed treatments and laboratory work.