CCM - Certified Case Manager Exam Certified Case Manager Ethical Principles and Conduct 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A case manager discovers that a client has not been fully informed about the risks of a proposed treatment plan. Which ethical principle is most directly violated?
- Beneficence
- Autonomy (Correct answer)
- Fidelity
- Justice
Correct answer: Autonomy
Autonomy requires that clients receive sufficient information to make informed, voluntary decisions about their own care. Withholding risk information undermines the client's ability to exercise self-determination.
Question 2: A case manager is pressured by an employer to discharge a client prematurely to reduce costs. The case manager believes the client is not yet ready for discharge. Which action best reflects ethical practice?
- Follow the employer's directive to avoid conflict
- Document the client's status and advocate for continued care based on clinical need (Correct answer)
- Defer the decision to the treating physician without further involvement
- Notify the client's family but take no further action
Correct answer: Document the client's status and advocate for continued care based on clinical need
Case managers have an ethical duty to advocate for the client's best interests. Documenting clinical status and formally advocating for appropriate care fulfills both the fidelity and beneficence obligations under the CCMC Code.
Question 3: When a case manager maintains client confidentiality but is legally required to report a communicable disease, this situation exemplifies a conflict between:
- Autonomy and justice
- Fidelity and veracity
- Confidentiality and duty to society (Correct answer)
- Nonmaleficence and beneficence
Correct answer: Confidentiality and duty to society
Mandatory reporting laws reflect a duty to protect public health, which can conflict with the case manager's obligation to maintain client confidentiality. This is a classic tension between individual privacy rights and societal welfare.
Question 4: A case manager who consistently provides honest information to clients, even when the truth is difficult, is demonstrating which ethical principle?
- Fidelity
- Veracity (Correct answer)
- Beneficence
- Nonmaleficence
Correct answer: Veracity
Veracity is the ethical obligation to be truthful and honest in all communications with clients. It is foundational to a trusting therapeutic relationship and is explicitly recognized in the CCMC Code of Professional Conduct.
Question 5: A case manager who has been working with a client for months develops a personal friendship outside of the professional setting. According to CCMC ethical standards, this situation raises concerns about:
- Scope of practice
- Dual relationships (Correct answer)
- Cultural competence
- Resource allocation
Correct answer: Dual relationships
Dual relationships occur when a case manager holds two different roles with the same person (e.g., professional and personal friend). The CCMC Code cautions against such relationships because they can impair professional judgment and exploit the client's trust.
Question 6: A case manager receives a gift of significant monetary value from a grateful client's family. Under CCMC ethical guidelines, the most appropriate response is to:
- Accept the gift as it was freely given and would cause offense to refuse
- Accept the gift and report it to a supervisor
- Decline the gift and explain the professional boundary around accepting gifts (Correct answer)
- Donate the gift to a charity on behalf of the client's family
Correct answer: Decline the gift and explain the professional boundary around accepting gifts
Accepting gifts of significant value can compromise professional objectivity and create a conflict of interest or sense of obligation. The CCMC Code advises case managers to decline gifts that could impair or appear to impair professional judgment, and to explain this boundary respectfully to clients and families.
CCM - Certified Case Manager Exam Certified Case Manager Ethical Principles and Conduct 1
A case manager discovers that a client has not been fully informed about the risks of a proposed treatment plan.
Which ethical principle is most directly violated?