Clinical Informatics Certification Telehealth & Remote Monitoring 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which federal regulation primarily governs the privacy of patient health information transmitted during telehealth encounters?
- HITECH Act
- HIPAA Privacy Rule (Correct answer)
- 21st Century Cures Act
- Stark Law
Correct answer: HIPAA Privacy Rule
The HIPAA Privacy Rule sets national standards for protecting individually identifiable health information, including data transmitted in telehealth sessions.
Question 2: A remote patient monitoring program captures continuous glucose readings and alerts the care team when values exceed thresholds. This alert mechanism is best described as:
- Passive monitoring
- Reactive surveillance
- Clinical decision support (Correct answer)
- Predictive analytics
Correct answer: Clinical decision support
Threshold-based alerts that prompt clinician action based on incoming data represent a core function of clinical decision support within RPM systems.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act as it relates to telehealth?
- Mandate telehealth reimbursement parity
- Require in-person evaluation before prescribing controlled substances via telemedicine (Correct answer)
- Establish interstate telehealth licensure compacts
- Regulate remote monitoring device standards
Correct answer: Require in-person evaluation before prescribing controlled substances via telemedicine
The Ryan Haight Act requires at least one in-person medical evaluation before a practitioner may prescribe controlled substances via the internet or telehealth.
Question 4: Store-and-forward telemedicine differs from synchronous telemedicine in that it:
- Requires real-time audio-video connection between patient and provider
- Transmits recorded clinical data for later review without live interaction (Correct answer)
- Uses wearable devices for continuous vital sign monitoring
- Relies on telephone-only communication for consultations
Correct answer: Transmits recorded clinical data for later review without live interaction
Store-and-forward (asynchronous) telehealth involves capturing and transmitting clinical data—images, videos, biosignals—for review by a specialist at a later time.
Question 5: When selecting a video conferencing platform for telehealth, which security feature is most critical to ensure HIPAA compliance?
- High-definition video resolution
- End-to-end encryption (Correct answer)
- Screen-sharing capability
- Virtual background support
Correct answer: End-to-end encryption
End-to-end encryption ensures that PHI transmitted during a video visit cannot be intercepted or accessed by unauthorized parties, satisfying HIPAA security requirements.
Question 6: A health system wants to reduce 30-day readmissions for heart failure patients using remote monitoring. Which physiologic parameter is most predictive of impending decompensation?
- Blood pressure
- Weight gain (Correct answer)
- Heart rate variability
- Oxygen saturation
Correct answer: Weight gain
Daily weight monitoring is the most established indicator of fluid retention and impending heart failure decompensation, guiding early intervention.
Question 7: Which CMS reimbursement code category was specifically created to compensate providers for the time spent reviewing and responding to remotely collected patient data?
- Evaluation and Management (E/M) codes
- Remote Physiologic Monitoring (RPM) codes (Correct answer)
- Chronic Care Management (CCM) codes
- Transitional Care Management (TCM) codes
Correct answer: Remote Physiologic Monitoring (RPM) codes
CMS established Remote Physiologic Monitoring CPT codes (99453–99458) specifically to reimburse providers for device setup, patient education, and data review in RPM programs.
Clinical Informatics Certification Telehealth & Remote Monitoring 2
Which federal regulation primarily governs the privacy of patient health information transmitted during telehealth encounters?