CEHRS Patient Registration and Demographics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient presents with a foreign name that has multiple acceptable spellings. What is the best practice when registering this patient in the EHR?
- Enter the most common spelling and note alternatives in a comments field
- Ask the patient to spell their name and enter it exactly as they provide it (Correct answer)
- Use the spelling from the referring physician's fax
- Select the spelling that matches the insurance card
Correct answer: Ask the patient to spell their name and enter it exactly as they provide it
Patient-provided spelling ensures the name is recorded as the patient intends, reducing identity errors.
Question 2: Which data element is considered a secondary identifier that supplements the patient's name in EHR systems?
- Insurance group number
- Date of birth (Correct answer)
- Primary care physician
- Preferred pharmacy
Correct answer: Date of birth
Date of birth is a standard secondary identifier used alongside name to reduce patient misidentification.
Question 3: A registration clerk discovers that a patient has two separate medical record numbers (MRNs) in the system. What process should be initiated?
- Delete the older MRN immediately
- Flag the duplicate for an MPI overlay or merge process (Correct answer)
- Keep both records active to preserve history
- Assign a third MRN to consolidate the records
Correct answer: Flag the duplicate for an MPI overlay or merge process
An MPI (Master Patient Index) merge process consolidates duplicate records while preserving clinical history safely.
Question 4: Which federal regulation requires healthcare providers to offer translated registration forms or interpreter services during the intake process?
- HIPAA Privacy Rule
- Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (Correct answer)
- ADA Amendments Act
- HITECH Act
Correct answer: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act requires federally funded healthcare entities to provide language access services to limited English proficient patients.
Question 5: A patient refuses to provide their Social Security Number during registration. What is the appropriate response?
- Deny registration until the SSN is provided
- Document the refusal and proceed with registration using other identifiers (Correct answer)
- Contact the patient's insurer to obtain the SSN directly
- Assign a temporary SSN for system entry
Correct answer: Document the refusal and proceed with registration using other identifiers
Patients have the right to decline providing their SSN; registration can continue using other required demographic identifiers.
Question 6: When entering a patient's address, the EHR system flags it as undeliverable. What is the best next step?
- Enter the address exactly as typed and ignore the flag
- Verify the address with the patient and correct it if needed (Correct answer)
- Use the address from the previous visit without asking
- Leave the address field blank to avoid errors
Correct answer: Verify the address with the patient and correct it if needed
Address verification with the patient ensures accurate contact information for billing, correspondence, and care coordination.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes the purpose of capturing 'guarantor' information during patient registration?
- To identify the patient's preferred pharmacy for prescriptions
- To designate the financially responsible party for the patient's bill (Correct answer)
- To record the name of the referring provider
- To document the patient's legal next of kin
Correct answer: To designate the financially responsible party for the patient's bill
The guarantor is the individual or entity responsible for paying the patient's medical bills, which is critical for billing workflows.
CEHRS Patient Registration and Demographics 2
A patient presents with a foreign name that has multiple acceptable spellings.
What is the best practice when registering this patient in the EHR?