CHT Professional Practice 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A CHT is treating a patient and suspects the referring physician's prescribed exercise protocol may cause harm. The most appropriate first step is to:
- Discontinue treatment immediately
- Contact the physician to discuss concerns (Correct answer)
- Proceed with the protocol as prescribed
- Refer the patient to another therapist
Correct answer: Contact the physician to discuss concerns
Professional standards require the therapist to communicate concerns directly with the referring physician before altering or stopping treatment.
Question 2: Under HIPAA, a hand therapist may share a patient's protected health information without authorization when:
- A family member requests updates
- Treatment, payment, or healthcare operations require it (Correct answer)
- An employer requests the information
- A colleague asks out of clinical curiosity
Correct answer: Treatment, payment, or healthcare operations require it
HIPAA's TPO (Treatment, Payment, Operations) exception allows disclosure without patient authorization for these specific purposes.
Question 3: Which documentation element is essential to demonstrate skilled care and justify continued hand therapy services under Medicare?
- Patient's age and diagnosis only
- Functional progress and skilled intervention rationale (Correct answer)
- Number of sessions attended
- Patient satisfaction scores
Correct answer: Functional progress and skilled intervention rationale
Medicare requires documentation of measurable functional progress and explanation of why skilled therapy is necessary to justify ongoing services.
Question 4: A CHT treating an athlete is asked by the coach for details about the injury and recovery timeline. The therapist should:
- Share full details since the coach is part of the care team
- Obtain written authorization from the patient first (Correct answer)
- Provide general information only without specifics
- Decline all communication with coaching staff
Correct answer: Obtain written authorization from the patient first
Even for team staff, HIPAA requires written patient authorization before disclosing protected health information to parties outside direct treatment.
Question 5: The CHT certification renewal cycle requires the therapist to complete:
- 30 CEUs every 2 years
- 40 contact hours every 5 years (Correct answer)
- 80 contact hours every 5 years
- 50 CEUs every 3 years
Correct answer: 40 contact hours every 5 years
HTCC requires 40 contact hours of continuing education within each 5-year recertification period.
Question 6: When a CHT discovers a billing error in a previously submitted claim that resulted in overpayment, the ethical obligation is to:
- Wait to see if the payer notices
- Report and refund the overpayment promptly (Correct answer)
- Apply the overpayment to future services
- Consult with colleagues before acting
Correct answer: Report and refund the overpayment promptly
Ethical and legal billing standards require prompt self-reporting and refund of identified overpayments to avoid fraud and abuse violations.
Question 7: A hand therapist notices a colleague using improper body mechanics that could lead to self-injury. The most appropriate response is to:
- Report the colleague to the state board immediately
- Privately address the concern with the colleague first (Correct answer)
- Ignore it as it does not affect patient care
- Notify the patient about the therapist's technique
Correct answer: Privately address the concern with the colleague first
Professional ethics support addressing colleague concerns privately and collegially before escalating to formal reporting processes.
CHT Professional Practice 2
A CHT is treating a patient and suspects the referring physician's prescribed exercise protocol may cause harm.
The most appropriate first step is to: