CMA Administrative Office Procedures 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which component of a professional business letter contains the writer's title and organization name?
- Salutation
- Reference line
- Signature block (Correct answer)
- Inside address
Correct answer: Signature block
The signature block, placed below the complimentary close, includes the writer's typed name, title, and organization.
Question 2: A medical office's accounts receivable (A/R) represents:
- Money owed by the practice to suppliers
- Outstanding balances owed TO the practice by patients and insurers (Correct answer)
- Total monthly revenue collected
- Payroll expenses for the current period
Correct answer: Outstanding balances owed TO the practice by patients and insurers
Accounts receivable is money owed to the medical practice for services rendered but not yet paid by patients or third-party payers.
Question 3: When a check is returned by the bank marked 'NSF,' this means:
- The account number is incorrect
- The check was not signed properly
- There were insufficient funds in the payer's account (Correct answer)
- The check was written more than 6 months ago
Correct answer: There were insufficient funds in the payer's account
NSF stands for 'Non-Sufficient Funds,' meaning the payer's bank account did not have enough money to cover the check amount.
Question 4: The SOAP format for documenting a patient visit stands for:
- Symptoms, Observations, Assessment, Plan
- Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan (Correct answer)
- Summary, Orders, Actions, Progress
- Subjective, Outcome, Analysis, Prescription
Correct answer: Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan
SOAP notes organize the patient encounter as Subjective (patient's complaints), Objective (exam findings), Assessment (diagnosis), and Plan (treatment).
Question 5: Which of the following is an example of a 'problem-oriented medical record' (POMR)?
- Records stored by date of service only
- A master problem list that links all notes to numbered patient problems (Correct answer)
- Separate paper files for each body system
- An electronic record sorted alphabetically by diagnosis
Correct answer: A master problem list that links all notes to numbered patient problems
A POMR uses a numbered problem list and links all progress notes, lab results, and orders to the specific problem numbers.
Question 6: When answering a multi-line office telephone, the BEST practice is to:
- Answer each line immediately, placing the first caller on hold without explanation
- Let calls ring until the current call is complete
- Greet the caller, identify the practice, identify yourself, and ask how you may help (Correct answer)
- Transfer all calls directly to the physician without screening
Correct answer: Greet the caller, identify the practice, identify yourself, and ask how you may help
Professional telephone technique requires a proper greeting, practice identification, self-identification, and an offer to assist.
Question 7: The purpose of using a numeric filing system in a medical office is PRIMARILY to:
- Make it easier for patients to retrieve their own records
- Provide greater confidentiality because names are not visible on file folders (Correct answer)
- Allow staff to file records without any training
- Reduce the total number of records that must be stored
Correct answer: Provide greater confidentiality because names are not visible on file folders
Numeric filing protects patient confidentiality by displaying only a number on folders, making names invisible to casual observers.
CMA Administrative Office Procedures 4
Which component of a professional business letter contains the writer's title and organization name?