CMAS Healthcare Laws & Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under HIPAA's Minimum Necessary Standard, a medical office staff member should disclose only the amount of PHI needed to:
- satisfy personal curiosity
- accomplish the intended purpose (Correct answer)
- comply with a patient's verbal request without verification
- fulfill any internal staff request
Correct answer: accomplish the intended purpose
The Minimum Necessary Standard requires that only the minimum amount of PHI necessary to accomplish the intended purpose be used or disclosed.
Question 2: Which law prohibits healthcare providers from referring Medicare patients to facilities in which the provider has a financial interest?
- False Claims Act
- Stark Law (Physician Self-Referral Law) (Correct answer)
- Anti-Kickback Statute
- EMTALA
Correct answer: Stark Law (Physician Self-Referral Law)
The Stark Law (Physician Self-Referral Law) prohibits physicians from referring Medicare/Medicaid patients to entities with which the physician has a financial relationship.
Question 3: A patient requests that their medical records NOT be sent to a specific family member who calls. The medical office should:
- send the records anyway if the family member claims an emergency
- honor the patient's restriction unless a court order overrides it (Correct answer)
- release records to immediate family without patient consent
- require the patient to submit the restriction in writing each time
Correct answer: honor the patient's restriction unless a court order overrides it
HIPAA gives patients the right to restrict disclosures, and providers must honor these requests unless legally overridden.
Question 4: Which ethical principle requires a medical administrative specialist to act in the patient's best interest rather than their own?
- Autonomy
- Non-maleficence
- Beneficence (Correct answer)
- Justice
Correct answer: Beneficence
Beneficence is the ethical principle of acting in the best interest of the patient and promoting their well-being.
Question 5: When a minor patient seeks confidential treatment for substance abuse in most US states, the provider:
- must always notify the parents regardless of state law
- may treat the minor confidentially per applicable state law (Correct answer)
- must obtain written consent from both parents
- must report the case to Child Protective Services immediately
Correct answer: may treat the minor confidentially per applicable state law
Most states allow minors to consent to substance abuse treatment confidentially without parental notification, and providers must follow applicable state law.
Question 6: An Advance Directive that designates another person to make healthcare decisions on a patient's behalf is called a:
- Living Will
- Do Not Resuscitate Order
- Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare (Correct answer)
- POLST Form
Correct answer: Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare
A Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare designates a healthcare proxy or agent to make medical decisions when the patient cannot.
Question 7: Which federal law requires hospitals that accept Medicare/Medicaid to provide emergency screening and stabilization to all patients regardless of ability to pay?
- HIPAA
- EMTALA (Correct answer)
- Stark Law
- ACA
Correct answer: EMTALA
EMTALA (Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act) requires Medicare-participating hospitals to screen and stabilize all emergency patients regardless of payment status.
CMAS Healthcare Laws & Ethics 2
Under HIPAA's Minimum Necessary Standard, a medical office staff member should disclose only the amount of PHI needed to: