CMAS Professional Standards & Competencies 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which federal law mandates that medical administrative specialists protect the confidentiality of patient health information?
- OSHA
- HIPAA (Correct answer)
- ADA
- FMLA
Correct answer: HIPAA
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) sets national standards for protecting sensitive patient health information from disclosure without patient consent.
Question 2: A medical administrative specialist discovers a coworker accessing patient records not related to their assigned duties. The BEST first action is to:
- Confront the coworker directly
- Report the incident to the compliance officer or supervisor (Correct answer)
- Delete the access logs to protect the coworker
- Ignore it if no harm appears to have occurred
Correct answer: Report the incident to the compliance officer or supervisor
Unauthorized access to patient records is a HIPAA violation and must be reported to the compliance officer or supervisor to be properly investigated.
Question 3: Which credential is awarded by the American Medical Technologists (AMT) to qualified medical administrative professionals?
- CPC
- CMAS (Correct answer)
- RHIA
- CMA
Correct answer: CMAS
The CMAS (Certified Medical Administrative Specialist) credential is awarded by AMT to professionals who demonstrate competency in medical administrative duties.
Question 4: Professional liability in a medical office context refers to:
- Physical injuries that occur on office property
- Negligent acts or omissions by staff that cause patient harm (Correct answer)
- Financial debts owed by the practice
- Equipment malfunctions causing delays
Correct answer: Negligent acts or omissions by staff that cause patient harm
Professional liability (malpractice) refers to harm caused to patients by the negligent acts or omissions of healthcare professionals or their staff.
Question 5: When a patient requests access to their own medical records, under HIPAA the covered entity must generally respond within:
- 7 days
- 15 days
- 30 days (Correct answer)
- 60 days
Correct answer: 30 days
HIPAA requires covered entities to act on a patient's request for access to their records within 30 days, with a possible 30-day extension.
Question 6: Which of the following BEST describes scope of practice for a medical administrative specialist?
- Performing clinical procedures under physician supervision
- Administrative duties such as scheduling, billing, and records management (Correct answer)
- Diagnosing minor illnesses during patient intake
- Prescribing over-the-counter medications
Correct answer: Administrative duties such as scheduling, billing, and records management
A medical administrative specialist's scope of practice is limited to administrative functions and does not include clinical or diagnostic duties.
Question 7: Continuing education units (CEUs) are important for a CMAS credential holder primarily because they:
- Increase hourly billing rates automatically
- Demonstrate ongoing professional development and maintain certification (Correct answer)
- Replace the need for annual performance reviews
- Satisfy federal employment law requirements
Correct answer: Demonstrate ongoing professional development and maintain certification
CEUs demonstrate commitment to staying current in the field and are required to maintain the CMAS certification through AMT.
CMAS Professional Standards & Competencies 2
Which federal law mandates that medical administrative specialists protect the confidentiality of patient health information?