CCHT Legal and Regulatory Compliance 2

Question 1

Which federal agency sets the Conditions for Coverage (CfC) that dialysis facilities must meet to receive Medicare reimbursement?

Accepted Answer

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Answer

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Answer

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Answer

The Joint Commission (TJC)

Question 2

A dialysis patient asks to see their own medical records. Under HIPAA, how should the facility respond?

Accepted Answer

Provide access within 30 days (or 60 days with one 30-day extension) at a reasonable cost

Answer

Deny the request as medical records contain technical information patients cannot understand

Answer

Refer the patient to their nephrologist to obtain records through the physician's office

Answer

Provide verbal summary only; written records cannot be given directly to patients

Question 3

What is the role of the ESRD Network Organization in dialysis quality oversight?

Accepted Answer

They provide quality improvement assistance and patient grievance services under a CMS contract

Answer

They directly employ dialysis technicians and set their wages

Answer

They perform annual licensing inspections of all dialysis facilities

Answer

They process Medicare claims and approve treatment orders

Question 4

Under CMS Conditions for Coverage, what is required regarding informed consent for hemodialysis treatment?

Accepted Answer

Informed consent must be documented before initiating treatment, with the patient having the right to refuse or withdraw consent at any time

Answer

Consent is required only for new procedures or changes to the treatment plan, not for routine dialysis

Answer

Written consent is needed only for patients who are incompetent to consent verbally

Answer

Informed consent is the nephrologist's sole responsibility and does not involve dialysis technicians

Question 5

What is the purpose of the ESRD Quality Incentive Program (QIP)?

Accepted Answer

To reduce Medicare payments to dialysis facilities with poor performance on quality measures

Answer

To provide financial bonuses to patients who comply with their dialysis schedule

Answer

To fund capital improvements in dialysis facilities in rural areas

Answer

To establish minimum staffing ratios for hemodialysis units

Question 6

A dialysis technician witnesses a co-worker falsifying a treatment record by entering a blood flow rate that was not actually achieved. What is the appropriate action?

Accepted Answer

Report the falsification to the supervisor or through the facility's compliance reporting mechanism

Answer

Correct the record personally to protect patient safety without involving management

Answer

Confront the co-worker directly and give them an opportunity to correct the record first

Answer

Document the observation in the patient's chart alongside the falsified entry