EHR Regulatory Compliance & Standards 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which FHIR resource type is used to represent a patient's active problem list in an EHR?
- Observation
- Condition (Correct answer)
- AllergyIntolerance
- MedicationStatement
Correct answer: Condition
The FHIR Condition resource represents clinical conditions, problems, and diagnoses that appear on a patient's problem list.
Question 2: Under the Cures Act Final Rule, what is the deadline for health IT developers to support SMART on FHIR-based patient access APIs?
- It was required immediately upon enactment in 2016
- December 31, 2022 for certified Health IT (Correct answer)
- Only required for hospitals, not ambulatory EHRs
- There is no specific deadline; it is voluntary
Correct answer: December 31, 2022 for certified Health IT
ONC's 21st Century Cures Act Final Rule required certified Health IT developers to support standardized patient access APIs by December 31, 2022.
Question 3: A Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) must be provided to patients:
- Only at initial enrollment, never again
- At first service delivery and upon any material revision (Correct answer)
- Annually regardless of changes
- Only when the patient requests it
Correct answer: At first service delivery and upon any material revision
HIPAA requires covered entities to provide the NPP no later than the first service delivery date and whenever material changes are made to the notice.
Question 4: Which standard is used to code laboratory test orders and results in an interoperable EHR system?
- CPT-4
- SNOMED CT
- LOINC (Correct answer)
- ICD-10-PCS
Correct answer: LOINC
LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes) is the standard for identifying laboratory and clinical observations, including test orders and results.
Question 5: Under 42 CFR Part 2, which type of patient information receives stricter confidentiality protections than standard HIPAA?
- Mental health records
- Substance use disorder treatment records (Correct answer)
- HIV/AIDS test results
- Genetic information
Correct answer: Substance use disorder treatment records
42 CFR Part 2 provides heightened federal confidentiality protections specifically for records of patients treated in federally-assisted substance use disorder programs.
Question 6: The ONC's Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) is designed to:
- Replace all state HIE regulations
- Establish a common set of principles and terms for nationwide health information exchange (Correct answer)
- Mandate specific EHR vendor contracts
- Define reimbursement rates for interoperability
Correct answer: Establish a common set of principles and terms for nationwide health information exchange
TEFCA establishes a common framework of principles, terms, and conditions to enable nationwide health information exchange across networks.
Question 7: Which element is NOT one of the 18 identifiers that must be removed under HIPAA's Safe Harbor de-identification method?
- Geographic data smaller than a state
- All elements of dates except year for individuals over 89
- Patient's blood type (Correct answer)
- Vehicle identification numbers
Correct answer: Patient's blood type
Blood type is not among the 18 identifiers listed under HIPAA's Safe Harbor method; clinical data like blood type is not considered an identifier under this standard.
EHR Regulatory Compliance & Standards 4
Which FHIR resource type is used to represent a patient's active problem list in an EHR?