CHAA Advance Directives and Patient Rights 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following statements about informed consent is CORRECT?
- Informed consent may be obtained by any hospital employee
- Informed consent must include information about risks, benefits, alternatives, and the right to refuse treatment (Correct answer)
- A patient's signature on the consent form is sufficient proof that informed consent was obtained
- Informed consent is only required for surgical procedures
Correct answer: Informed consent must include information about risks, benefits, alternatives, and the right to refuse treatment
Informed consent requires that the patient be provided with risks, benefits, alternatives, and their right to refuse so they can make a truly voluntary and educated decision.
Question 2: When a patient is admitted unconscious and without an advance directive, and no family is reachable, which standard guides treatment decisions?
- Substituted judgment standard
- Best interest standard (Correct answer)
- The attending physician's personal judgment
- Hospital ethics committee majority vote
Correct answer: Best interest standard
The best interest standard is applied when a surrogate or advance directive is unavailable; it guides providers to act in the way a reasonable person would want under the circumstances.
Question 3: A Patient Access associate notices that the advance directive on file appears to be more than five years old. The BEST course of action is to:
- Discard the old document and ask the patient to complete a new one
- Flag the document and notify the clinical team so the patient can confirm or update their wishes (Correct answer)
- Accept the document as valid since advance directives have no expiration date
- Contact an attorney before accepting the document
Correct answer: Flag the document and notify the clinical team so the patient can confirm or update their wishes
Advance directives do not legally expire, but it is good practice to notify clinical staff so the patient is given the opportunity to review and confirm or update their wishes.
Question 4: Which patient right, established by the American Hospital Association's Patient Care Partnership, includes access to information about the patient's own health status?
- Right to privacy
- Right to be informed (Correct answer)
- Right to emergency treatment
- Right to refuse treatment
Correct answer: Right to be informed
The right to be informed ensures patients receive clear, complete information about their diagnosis, treatment options, and health status to support their decision-making.
Question 5: A minor patient, aged 15, arrives for reproductive health services and specifically requests that their parents not be informed. In most U.S. states, the Patient Access associate should:
- Notify the parents immediately because the patient is a minor
- Proceed with registration and respect the minor's right to confidentiality for certain services (Correct answer)
- Refuse to register the patient without parental consent
- Request a court order before proceeding
Correct answer: Proceed with registration and respect the minor's right to confidentiality for certain services
Most states grant minors the right to consent to and receive confidential reproductive, mental health, and substance abuse services without parental involvement.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of a patient's right to be free from discrimination in healthcare access?
- Requiring all patients to show a government-issued ID before registration
- Providing interpreter services to a patient with limited English proficiency at no charge (Correct answer)
- Charging a higher copay for patients without prior authorization
- Prioritizing patients with insurance over uninsured patients in the scheduling queue
Correct answer: Providing interpreter services to a patient with limited English proficiency at no charge
Section 1557 of the ACA and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act require covered entities to provide meaningful access for individuals with limited English proficiency, including free interpreter services.
Question 7: A healthcare facility that accepts Medicare and Medicaid must comply with the Conditions of Participation (CoPs) related to patient rights. Which of the following is included in those requirements?
- Patients must be assigned a case manager upon admission
- Patients have the right to receive a written notice of patient rights before or at the time of admission (Correct answer)
- All patient grievances must be resolved within 24 hours
- Advance directives must be completed prior to any elective procedure
Correct answer: Patients have the right to receive a written notice of patient rights before or at the time of admission
CMS CoPs require that patients receive written notification of their rights in advance of or at admission, ensuring they understand their protections before care begins.
CHAA Advance Directives and Patient Rights 2
Which of the following statements about informed consent is CORRECT?