ABA Ethics, Safety & Professional Practice 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An audiologist discovers a colleague is billing Medicare for auditory brainstem response (ABR) tests that were not performed. What is the most appropriate first action?
- Ignore the issue to avoid workplace conflict
- Report the concern through internal compliance channels or to the appropriate regulatory body (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague publicly at a staff meeting
- Notify the patient's family immediately without further investigation
Correct answer: Report the concern through internal compliance channels or to the appropriate regulatory body
Audiologists have an ethical and legal obligation to report suspected fraud or misconduct through proper compliance or regulatory channels.
Question 2: Under HIPAA, which of the following constitutes a permissible disclosure of protected health information (PHI) without patient authorization?
- Sharing audiogram results with the patient's employer upon employer request
- Disclosing treatment information to a family member who is not the patient's personal representative
- Providing records to another treating provider involved in the patient's care (Correct answer)
- Emailing audiological reports to a researcher without a data use agreement
Correct answer: Providing records to another treating provider involved in the patient's care
HIPAA permits disclosure of PHI to other treating providers for treatment purposes without explicit patient authorization.
Question 3: An audiologist is fitting a hearing aid on a patient who lacks decision-making capacity and has no legal guardian. Who should provide informed consent?
- The audiologist may proceed without consent in the patient's best interest
- The patient's closest available family member acting as a surrogate (Correct answer)
- The referring physician automatically assumes consent authority
- Consent is not required for hearing aid fittings regardless of capacity
Correct answer: The patient's closest available family member acting as a surrogate
When a patient lacks capacity and has no legal guardian, the closest surrogate decision-maker (typically next of kin) provides consent.
Question 4: A patient requests their complete audiological records. Under HIPAA, within how many days must the covered entity respond to this request?
- 15 days
- 30 days
- 60 days (Correct answer)
- 90 days
Correct answer: 60 days
HIPAA requires covered entities to act on patient record requests within 60 days, with one possible 30-day extension.
Question 5: Which behavior most clearly violates the AAA Code of Ethics principle of autonomy?
- Recommending a specific hearing aid brand the audiologist finds most effective
- Withholding diagnostic results to prevent patient distress without their consent (Correct answer)
- Referring a patient to a specialist outside the clinic network
- Charging a fee for an extended appointment
Correct answer: Withholding diagnostic results to prevent patient distress without their consent
Withholding information from patients without consent undermines autonomy by preventing informed decision-making.
Question 6: An audiologist works in a school setting and suspects a child is being physically abused. What is the appropriate course of action?
- Consult with the child's parents before taking any action
- Report the suspicion to child protective services as required by mandatory reporting laws (Correct answer)
- Document the concern in the child's file and monitor for further signs
- Refer the child to a psychologist and take no further immediate action
Correct answer: Report the suspicion to child protective services as required by mandatory reporting laws
Audiologists are mandatory reporters and must report suspected child abuse to child protective services immediately.
Question 7: An audiologist is approached to provide expert witness testimony in a legal case involving a patient's hearing loss claim. Which ethical obligation is most critical?
- Always support the position of the attorney who hired them
- Provide only testimony that reflects accurate scientific and clinical knowledge (Correct answer)
- Avoid testifying if it might conflict with the opposing party's audiologist
- Limit testimony to avoid disclosing proprietary testing procedures
Correct answer: Provide only testimony that reflects accurate scientific and clinical knowledge
Expert witnesses have an ethical obligation to provide truthful, evidence-based testimony regardless of who retained them.
ABA Ethics, Safety & Professional Practice 2
An audiologist discovers a colleague is billing Medicare for auditory brainstem response (ABR) tests that were not performed.
What is the most appropriate first action?