CMT CMT Professional Practice & Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A myofunctional therapist identifies that a patient's primary insurance does not cover their services. What is the ethical obligation regarding financial disclosure?
- Proceed with treatment and bill anyway
- Inform the patient of anticipated out-of-pocket costs before treatment begins so they can make an informed financial decision (Correct answer)
- Refuse treatment until coverage is confirmed
- Bill as a different service to maximize reimbursement
Correct answer: Inform the patient of anticipated out-of-pocket costs before treatment begins so they can make an informed financial decision
Ethical practice requires transparent financial disclosure before treatment, allowing patients to make informed decisions about whether to proceed given their financial circumstances.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of maintaining continuing education (CE) for CMT certification?
- To fulfill state licensing requirements only
- To ensure practitioners maintain current knowledge and skills as the field evolves (Correct answer)
- To increase billing rates
- To qualify for insurance panels
Correct answer: To ensure practitioners maintain current knowledge and skills as the field evolves
Continuing education ensures that certified myofunctional therapists remain current with evidence-based practices, emerging research, and clinical standards as the field develops.
Question 3: When treating a minor, who must provide consent for myofunctional therapy?
- The minor patient if they are at least 12 years old
- A parent or legal guardian (Correct answer)
- The referring dentist or physician
- The school counselor if referred through school
Correct answer: A parent or legal guardian
A parent or legal guardian must provide informed consent for any healthcare treatment of a minor; the child may provide assent but cannot legally consent independently.
Question 4: A myofunctional therapist is asked to provide a testimonial for a dental appliance product. What ethical consideration is MOST important?
- Whether the testimonial increases practice visibility
- Disclosing any financial relationship or compensation associated with the endorsement (Correct answer)
- Whether the product is popular
- Whether other therapists use the product
Correct answer: Disclosing any financial relationship or compensation associated with the endorsement
Healthcare professionals endorsing products must transparently disclose any financial relationships or compensation to prevent conflicts of interest from misleading patients or the public.
Question 5: A patient misses multiple appointments without notice. What is the ethically appropriate practice management response?
- Immediately discharge the patient without notice
- Follow a documented no-show policy communicated in writing at the start of care (Correct answer)
- Allow unlimited missed appointments
- Bill for missed sessions without prior written agreement
Correct answer: Follow a documented no-show policy communicated in writing at the start of care
Ethical practice management requires a clearly communicated, written no-show and cancellation policy provided at intake so patients understand expectations and consequences before missing appointments.
Question 6: Which practice is considered a violation of professional ethics in myofunctional therapy?
- Referring patients to specialists
- Guaranteeing specific treatment outcomes to attract patients (Correct answer)
- Charging for a missed appointment per policy
- Using standardized assessment tools
Correct answer: Guaranteeing specific treatment outcomes to attract patients
Guaranteeing specific treatment outcomes is unethical because treatment results depend on many variables including patient compliance, anatomy, and comorbidities, and such guarantees can mislead patients.
CMT CMT Professional Practice & Ethics 2
A myofunctional therapist identifies that a patient's primary insurance does not cover their services.
What is the ethical obligation regarding financial disclosure?