CTC Treatment Protocols & Procedures 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When a telehealth patient reports chest pain during a video visit, what is the coordinator's FIRST action?
- Document symptoms in the EHR
- Instruct the patient to call 911 or activate emergency services immediately (Correct answer)
- Schedule an in-person follow-up appointment
- Notify the supervising physician via secure message
Correct answer: Instruct the patient to call 911 or activate emergency services immediately
Chest pain is a potential emergency requiring immediate activation of local emergency services before any other documentation or scheduling steps.
Question 2: Which standard best describes the 'store-and-forward' telehealth modality?
- Real-time two-way video between patient and provider
- Asynchronous transmission of medical data for later review by a clinician (Correct answer)
- Remote monitoring of physiologic parameters 24/7
- Direct phone consultation without video
Correct answer: Asynchronous transmission of medical data for later review by a clinician
Store-and-forward involves capturing and transmitting patient data (images, videos, records) to a provider who reviews them at a different time.
Question 3: A remote patient monitoring (RPM) protocol should include which key element to ensure clinical response?
- Patient's insurance billing codes only
- Defined alert thresholds and escalation pathways for abnormal readings (Correct answer)
- Monthly summary reports sent by postal mail
- Annual in-person calibration of monitoring devices
Correct answer: Defined alert thresholds and escalation pathways for abnormal readings
Effective RPM protocols must specify what reading values trigger alerts and who is notified to act on those alerts.
Question 4: Under CMS guidelines, which originating site requirement was relaxed for mental health telehealth services after 2023?
- Patients must be located in a rural HPSA only
- Patients may receive behavioral health services from their home without geographic restrictions (Correct answer)
- Services must originate from a federally qualified health center
- Audio-only is prohibited for all mental health visits
Correct answer: Patients may receive behavioral health services from their home without geographic restrictions
Post-pandemic CMS rules permanently allow patients to receive behavioral/mental health telehealth from their home without rural location requirements.
Question 5: A telehealth coordinator reviewing asynchronous dermatology consults notices an image is too low resolution for diagnosis. What is the correct protocol?
- Forward the image anyway and note quality concerns
- Request a new, higher-resolution image from the referring provider before forwarding the consult (Correct answer)
- Cancel the consult and reschedule as a live video visit only
- Have the patient re-photograph and email directly to the specialist
Correct answer: Request a new, higher-resolution image from the referring provider before forwarding the consult
Submitting inadequate images delays care and may result in diagnostic errors; the coordinator must ensure image quality standards are met before forwarding.
Question 6: Which telehealth procedure best supports continuity of care for a patient transitioning from hospital to home?
- Scheduling a 90-day follow-up in-person visit only
- A telehealth transitional care management visit within 7 days of discharge (Correct answer)
- Sending discharge paperwork by fax without follow-up contact
- Referring the patient to a new primary care provider
Correct answer: A telehealth transitional care management visit within 7 days of discharge
Transitional care management (TCM) telehealth visits within 7 days of discharge reduce readmissions and ensure medication reconciliation and care plan review.
Question 7: What does a 'clinical decision support' tool integrated into a telehealth platform primarily help providers do?
- Bill patients automatically at point of service
- Apply evidence-based guidelines and alerts during the clinical encounter (Correct answer)
- Translate patient communications into multiple languages
- Schedule appointments across multiple provider calendars
Correct answer: Apply evidence-based guidelines and alerts during the clinical encounter
Clinical decision support tools present evidence-based recommendations, drug interaction alerts, and guideline reminders during the clinical workflow.
CTC Treatment Protocols & Procedures 2
When a telehealth patient reports chest pain during a video visit, what is the coordinator's FIRST action?