CHL Healthcare Ethics and Regulations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A hospital discovers that a vendor has been overcharging for supplies. The compliance officer should first:
- Immediately terminate the vendor contract
- Conduct an internal investigation and document findings (Correct answer)
- Report the vendor to law enforcement
- Notify the board of directors without investigation
Correct answer: Conduct an internal investigation and document findings
Conducting an internal investigation and documenting findings is the appropriate first step before taking further action.
Question 2: Which federal law prohibits healthcare providers from referring patients to entities in which they have a financial interest?
- Anti-Kickback Statute
- Stark Law (Correct answer)
- False Claims Act
- HIPAA Privacy Rule
Correct answer: Stark Law
The Stark Law (Physician Self-Referral Law) prohibits physician referrals for designated health services to entities with which they have a financial relationship.
Question 3: A patient with capacity refuses a life-saving blood transfusion for religious reasons. The ethical principle most directly supporting this decision is:
- Beneficence
- Justice
- Autonomy (Correct answer)
- Nonmaleficence
Correct answer: Autonomy
Autonomy supports a competent patient's right to refuse treatment, even if it results in harm or death.
Question 4: Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), a hospital with an emergency department must:
- Provide free care to all uninsured patients
- Screen and stabilize any patient who presents regardless of ability to pay (Correct answer)
- Transfer all uninsured patients to public hospitals
- Only treat patients with life-threatening emergencies
Correct answer: Screen and stabilize any patient who presents regardless of ability to pay
EMTALA requires hospitals to provide a medical screening exam and stabilizing treatment regardless of the patient's insurance status or ability to pay.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes the purpose of a Healthcare Compliance Program?
- Maximize revenue by identifying billing opportunities
- Detect and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse (Correct answer)
- Ensure physicians follow hospital protocols
- Manage patient satisfaction scores
Correct answer: Detect and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse
Healthcare compliance programs are designed to detect, prevent, and correct fraud, waste, and abuse in accordance with regulatory requirements.
Question 6: A nurse notices a colleague falsifying medication administration records. The nurse's primary ethical obligation is to:
- Confront the colleague privately and ask them to self-report
- Report the behavior through appropriate channels to protect patient safety (Correct answer)
- Document personal observations but take no further action
- Discuss the situation with other colleagues before deciding
Correct answer: Report the behavior through appropriate channels to protect patient safety
Patient safety takes priority, and nurses have an ethical and often legal duty to report unsafe practices through proper reporting mechanisms.
Question 7: The principle of distributive justice in healthcare primarily addresses:
- Fair allocation of scarce medical resources (Correct answer)
- Patient rights to information disclosure
- Provider accountability for medical errors
- Equal treatment regardless of diagnosis
Correct answer: Fair allocation of scarce medical resources
Distributive justice concerns the fair and equitable distribution of healthcare resources, benefits, and burdens across a population.
CHL Healthcare Ethics and Regulations 2
A hospital discovers that a vendor has been overcharging for supplies.
The compliance officer should first: