OT Analysis & Practice Management 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A billing audit reveals that an OT has been routinely billing for 97530 (therapeutic activities) when providing skilled teaching for home management tasks. This is BEST described as:
- Upcoding (Correct answer)
- Downcoding
- Unbundling
- Medically unnecessary billing
Correct answer: Upcoding
Upcoding means billing a higher-reimbursing code than the service actually rendered, which is a form of healthcare fraud.
Question 2: Which management approach is MOST consistent with a client-centered practice philosophy in an OT department?
- Hierarchical top-down decision-making by the department director
- Collaborative goal-setting involving clients in prioritizing occupational outcomes (Correct answer)
- Standardized treatment protocols applied uniformly to all diagnoses
- Efficiency-driven scheduling that maximizes therapist productivity
Correct answer: Collaborative goal-setting involving clients in prioritizing occupational outcomes
Client-centered practice requires that clients actively participate in identifying and prioritizing goals relevant to their occupational performance.
Question 3: An OT analyzes a work task and finds it requires sustained static posture for 45 minutes. Which ergonomic principle is MOST at risk of being violated?
- Neutral joint position
- Reducing forceful exertions
- Avoiding static loading (Correct answer)
- Minimizing contact stress
Correct answer: Avoiding static loading
Prolonged static posture creates sustained muscle loading (static loading), which increases fatigue and risk of musculoskeletal injury.
Question 4: A new OT manager wants to reduce staff burnout. According to organizational management theory, which strategy is MOST evidence-supported?
- Increasing financial incentives alone
- Providing autonomy, meaningful work, and professional development opportunities (Correct answer)
- Reducing workload by eliminating documentation requirements
- Rotating staff between departments quarterly
Correct answer: Providing autonomy, meaningful work, and professional development opportunities
Autonomy, meaningful work, and professional growth are core drivers of intrinsic motivation and job satisfaction, shown to reduce burnout.
Question 5: During activity analysis, an OT identifies that cooking requires color discrimination to determine when food is properly cooked. This is categorized under which activity demand?
- Objects and their properties
- Required body functions (Correct answer)
- Social demands
- Sequencing and timing
Correct answer: Required body functions
Color discrimination is a sensory body function, which is categorized under required body functions within OTPF activity demands.
Question 6: A state's OT practice act requires licensure for all OT services. An OT supervisor allows an unlicensed aide to perform skilled OT interventions. The MOST serious consequence is:
- A minor administrative fine for the department
- License revocation for the supervising OT and potential criminal liability (Correct answer)
- Required additional training for the aide
- Mandatory peer review of department practices
Correct answer: License revocation for the supervising OT and potential criminal liability
Allowing unlicensed practice of a licensed profession violates state practice acts, which can result in license revocation and criminal charges against the supervising OT.
Question 7: When prioritizing quality improvement (QI) initiatives in an OT department, which data source provides the MOST direct measure of patient outcomes?
- Staff satisfaction surveys
- Therapist productivity rates
- Pre- and post-treatment functional assessment scores (Correct answer)
- Referral source tracking data
Correct answer: Pre- and post-treatment functional assessment scores
Pre- and post-treatment functional assessments directly measure whether patients improved as a result of OT intervention.
OT Analysis & Practice Management 3
A billing audit reveals that an OT has been routinely billing for 97530 (therapeutic activities) when providing skilled teaching for home management tasks.
This is BEST described as: