Healthcare Laws & Ethics Flashcards
7 cards from real CMAS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Healthcare Laws & Ethics flashcards as text
A medical administrative specialist notices a co-worker accessing records of patients who are not under that co-worker's care. This is best described as:
Answer: a HIPAA privacy violation that should be reported
Accessing patient records without a legitimate work-related purpose violates HIPAA's Minimum Necessary rule and should be reported through the facility's compliance process.
The concept of 'justice' in healthcare ethics primarily relates to:
Answer: fair and equitable distribution of healthcare resources
Justice in bioethics refers to the fair, equitable, and appropriate distribution of healthcare resources and treatment among individuals.
A signed authorization for release of records must include all of the following EXCEPT:
Answer: the patient's insurance policy number
HIPAA's required authorization elements include description of PHI, recipient, purpose, expiration, and signature — but not the patient's insurance policy number.
Which of the following actions constitutes 'abuse' rather than 'fraud' in Medicare/Medicaid billing?
Answer: Unknowingly billing for non-covered services due to misunderstanding of policy
Abuse involves billing practices that result in unnecessary costs but lack the intent to deceive, such as unknowingly billing non-covered services.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires medical offices to offer hepatitis B vaccinations to employees:
Answer: at no cost to employees who have occupational exposure risk
OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires employers to offer hepatitis B vaccine series at no cost to all employees with occupational exposure to blood or body fluids.
A patient revokes a previously signed HIPAA authorization. The covered entity must:
Answer: honor the revocation for future disclosures but cannot undo already-completed actions
Patients may revoke authorizations at any time in writing; the covered entity must honor the revocation prospectively but is not required to reverse disclosures already made.
Which document would a patient complete to specify what life-sustaining treatments they want or do not want if they become incapacitated?
Answer: Living Will
A Living Will (also called an instructional directive) documents a patient's specific wishes regarding life-sustaining treatment if they become unable to communicate.