CHAA - Certified Healthcare Access Associate Medical Terminology for Patient Access 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the prefix 'tachy-' mean in medical terminology?
- Slow
- Rapid or fast (Correct answer)
- Below normal
- Around
Correct answer: Rapid or fast
'Tachy-' means rapid or fast. For example, tachycardia refers to an abnormally fast heart rate, which patient access staff may see frequently in admission documentation.
Question 2: What does the suffix '-plasty' mean?
- Removal of an organ
- Surgical repair or reconstruction (Correct answer)
- Inflammation of a structure
- Incision into a body part
Correct answer: Surgical repair or reconstruction
'-plasty' means surgical repair or reconstruction. Rhinoplasty (nose) and angioplasty (blood vessel) are common examples a patient access associate might encounter on authorization forms.
Question 3: What does the root word 'nephro-' refer to?
- Heart
- Liver
- Kidney (Correct answer)
- Lung
Correct answer: Kidney
'Nephro-' comes from the Greek word for kidney. Nephrology is the branch of medicine dealing with kidney diseases, and nephrectomy is surgical removal of a kidney.
Question 4: What does the prefix 'peri-' mean in medical terminology?
- Before
- After
- Within
- Around or surrounding (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Around or surrounding
'Peri-' means around or surrounding. The pericardium is the membrane surrounding the heart. Patient access staff encounter this prefix in procedure names like 'pericardiocentesis.'
Question 5: What does the suffix '-ology' mean?
- Surgical removal
- Disease of
- The study of (Correct answer)
- Incision into
Correct answer: The study of
'-ology' means the study of. Cardiology is the study of the heart, neurology is the study of the nervous system. Patient access staff use these specialty names daily when routing patients to the correct department.
Question 6: What does the suffix '-otomy' mean?
- Surgical fixation
- Surgical incision into (Correct answer)
- Complete removal of
- Visual examination of
Correct answer: Surgical incision into
'-otomy' means a surgical incision into a body part. A tracheotomy is an incision into the trachea. It is important to distinguish '-otomy' (incision) from '-ectomy' (removal) when reviewing procedure orders during patient registration.
CHAA - Certified Healthcare Access Associate Medical Terminology for Patient Access 3
What does the prefix 'tachy-' mean in medical terminology?