Administrative Office Procedures Flashcards
7 cards from real CMA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Administrative Office Procedures flashcards as text
Which federal law mandates that employees be given up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for qualifying family or medical reasons?
Answer: FMLA
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid protected leave per year.
In the context of medical billing, 'coordination of benefits' means:
Answer: Determining which insurance plan pays first when a patient has multiple coverages
Coordination of benefits establishes the order in which multiple insurance plans pay to prevent duplicate payment.
A medical assistant receives a call from someone identifying themselves as a nurse from a specialist's office requesting lab results. The BEST action is to:
Answer: Verify the caller's identity and obtain patient authorization before releasing information
HIPAA requires verification of the requestor's identity and appropriate patient authorization before disclosing PHI to any third party.
The 'tickler file' in a medical office is used to:
Answer: Flag reminders for future follow-up tasks on specific dates
A tickler file is a chronological reminder system that prompts staff to take action on specific items on or by a certain date.
Which form must patients sign before the medical office can share their health information with their health insurance company for payment purposes?
Answer: Notice of Privacy Practices acknowledgment
Patients sign the Notice of Privacy Practices acknowledgment, which covers routine disclosures for treatment, payment, and operations without a separate authorization.
An 'established patient' in a medical office is defined as one who has:
Answer: Been seen by any physician in the same specialty group within the last 3 years
CMS defines an established patient as one who has received professional services from the physician or a physician of the same specialty in the same group within the past 3 years.
Which scheduling technique is BEST suited for a practice with frequent no-shows, because it deliberately books more patients than available slots?
Answer: Wave scheduling
Wave scheduling books multiple patients at the top of each hour, expecting that some will arrive late or not show, leveling patient flow.