COM Ethics & Professional Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A COM is treating a 10-year-old child and suspects signs of physical abuse. What is the most appropriate course of action?
- Continue treatment without intervention to maintain family trust
- Document observations and report suspicions to the appropriate child protective authority (Correct answer)
- Confront the parents directly during the next appointment
- Refer the child to another therapist without disclosure
Correct answer: Document observations and report suspicions to the appropriate child protective authority
Orofacial myologists are mandatory reporters in most states and must report suspected child abuse to child protective services.
Question 2: Which scenario best represents a boundary violation in orofacial myology practice?
- Documenting session notes promptly after appointments
- Accepting a small gift card worth $150 from a grateful patient (Correct answer)
- Referring a patient to a dentist for evaluation
- Discussing treatment goals with a patient's parent
Correct answer: Accepting a small gift card worth $150 from a grateful patient
Accepting gifts of significant monetary value from patients can compromise professional objectivity and represents a boundary violation.
Question 3: A COM discovers that a colleague has been billing insurance for sessions that were not performed. What ethical obligation applies?
- Ignore it as it does not directly affect your practice
- Report the fraud to the appropriate professional organization and/or legal authority (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague publicly at a professional meeting
- Alert only the affected patients
Correct answer: Report the fraud to the appropriate professional organization and/or legal authority
Reporting insurance fraud upholds the integrity of the profession and protects patients and payers from financial harm.
Question 4: When obtaining informed consent from a patient, which element is NOT required?
- Description of proposed treatment
- Potential risks of the treatment
- Guarantee of treatment success (Correct answer)
- Alternatives to the proposed treatment
Correct answer: Guarantee of treatment success
Informed consent requires disclosure of risks, benefits, and alternatives, but practitioners cannot ethically guarantee outcomes.
Question 5: A patient requests that their treatment records be sent to their new COM provider. Under HIPAA, the practice must respond within:
- 7 calendar days
- 30 calendar days (Correct answer)
- 60 calendar days
- 90 calendar days
Correct answer: 30 calendar days
HIPAA requires covered entities to provide patients access to their records within 30 calendar days of the request.
Question 6: A COM trained primarily in tongue thrust therapy begins treating a patient with a complex TMJ disorder beyond their competence. This most directly violates which ethical principle?
- Fidelity
- Beneficence
- Non-maleficence
- Scope of competence (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Scope of competence
Practicing beyond one's scope of competence violates professional standards and can cause patient harm.
Question 7: Which of the following is an example of appropriate dual-role management in orofacial myology?
- Treating a family member without disclosing the relationship to a supervisor
- Disclosing the personal relationship and obtaining supervision or referral as needed (Correct answer)
- Charging family members full fees without documentation
- Combining social and professional roles without discussion
Correct answer: Disclosing the personal relationship and obtaining supervision or referral as needed
Transparency about dual relationships and seeking supervision or referral protects both the professional and the patient.
COM Ethics & Professional Standards 2
A COM is treating a 10-year-old child and suspects signs of physical abuse.
What is the most appropriate course of action?