AP Ethics & Professional Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A minor patient (age 15) presents for acupuncture without a parent present. The practitioner should:
- Treat immediately since the minor consented
- Verify state law regarding minor consent and obtain parental consent if required before proceeding (Correct answer)
- Refuse all treatment until the patient turns 18
- Obtain verbal parental consent by phone and proceed without documentation
Correct answer: Verify state law regarding minor consent and obtain parental consent if required before proceeding
State laws vary on a minor's ability to consent to treatment; practitioners must know applicable statutes and document parental consent when required.
Question 2: Which document legally authorizes an acupuncture physician to treat an incapacitated adult patient?
- A verbal request from the patient's adult child
- A valid durable power of attorney for healthcare or healthcare proxy designation (Correct answer)
- The patient's insurance card
- A note from the patient's primary care physician
Correct answer: A valid durable power of attorney for healthcare or healthcare proxy designation
A durable power of attorney for healthcare or legally designated proxy grants authority to make medical decisions for an incapacitated patient.
Question 3: An acupuncture physician discovers a billing error that resulted in overcharging a patient's insurance. The ethical obligation is to:
- Ignore it if the insurance company has already paid
- Correct the error, repay any overpayment, and document the correction (Correct answer)
- Submit a larger claim on the next visit to balance the accounts
- Wait to see if the insurance company audits the claim
Correct answer: Correct the error, repay any overpayment, and document the correction
Billing integrity requires correcting errors proactively, repaying overpayments, and maintaining accurate records regardless of whether an audit is pending.
Question 4: A patient states they want to use acupuncture instead of chemotherapy for a newly diagnosed cancer. The practitioner's ethical duty is to:
- Agree and begin intensive treatment immediately
- Respect autonomy while ensuring the patient has complete information about the risks of forgoing conventional treatment (Correct answer)
- Refuse to treat the patient until they agree to chemotherapy
- Recommend only herbal medicine in place of conventional cancer treatment
Correct answer: Respect autonomy while ensuring the patient has complete information about the risks of forgoing conventional treatment
Respecting patient autonomy is balanced with the duty to ensure fully informed decision-making, including disclosure of risks from declining evidence-based treatment.
Question 5: Mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse by a licensed acupuncture physician is:
- Optional, left to the practitioner's clinical judgment
- Required by law in all US states for mandated reporters including healthcare providers (Correct answer)
- Required only if the practitioner witnesses the abuse directly
- Limited to physicians holding MD or DO licenses
Correct answer: Required by law in all US states for mandated reporters including healthcare providers
All US states designate healthcare providers including licensed acupuncturists as mandated reporters, legally required to report reasonable suspicion of child abuse.
Question 6: An acupuncture physician receives a gift from a pharmaceutical representative promoting herbal supplements. The most ethical course of action is to:
- Accept it as professional courtesy
- Decline the gift to avoid any conflict of interest that could influence clinical decision-making (Correct answer)
- Accept and disclose it only if the gift exceeds $100
- Accept gifts of educational materials only
Correct answer: Decline the gift to avoid any conflict of interest that could influence clinical decision-making
Accepting gifts from industry representatives creates potential conflicts of interest that can compromise objective clinical decision-making and patient trust.
Question 7: A patient requests a copy of their acupuncture treatment records. Under HIPAA, the practitioner must provide access:
- Only if the patient can demonstrate a medical necessity for the records
- Within 30 days of the request, with one 30-day extension if needed (Correct answer)
- Within 10 business days at no charge
- Only to the patient's attorney, not directly to the patient
Correct answer: Within 30 days of the request, with one 30-day extension if needed
HIPAA requires covered entities to provide patients access to their records within 30 days of a request, with one permissible 30-day extension.
AP Ethics & Professional Standards 3
A minor patient (age 15) presents for acupuncture without a parent present.
The practitioner should: