PAR Healthcare Information Systems 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A Patient Access Representative notices a duplicate medical record number for the same patient. What is this situation called?
- Overlay
- Duplicate MRN (Correct answer)
- Merge conflict
- Alias record
Correct answer: Duplicate MRN
A duplicate MRN occurs when the same patient has more than one medical record number in the system, risking fragmented care.
Question 2: What is an 'overlay' in the context of healthcare information systems?
- A backup copy of the EHR
- When one patient's records are incorrectly merged with another patient's record (Correct answer)
- A secondary insurance policy
- A system update patch
Correct answer: When one patient's records are incorrectly merged with another patient's record
An overlay happens when one patient's health information is incorrectly combined with another patient's record, creating a serious safety hazard.
Question 3: Which identifier is used to uniquely identify a patient across all encounters within a healthcare system?
- National Provider Identifier (NPI)
- Medical Record Number (MRN) (Correct answer)
- Group Insurance Number
- ICD-10 Code
Correct answer: Medical Record Number (MRN)
The Medical Record Number (MRN) is assigned to each patient and used to link all their encounters within a facility.
Question 4: What does 'downtime procedures' refer to in healthcare information systems?
- Scheduled software upgrades
- Processes for continuing patient care when the EHR system is unavailable (Correct answer)
- End-of-day billing processes
- Deactivating old patient accounts
Correct answer: Processes for continuing patient care when the EHR system is unavailable
Downtime procedures are standardized workflows that staff follow to maintain patient care continuity when electronic systems are offline.
Question 5: In which section of an EHR would a Patient Access Representative most likely verify a patient's primary care provider?
- Problem list
- Medication reconciliation
- Patient demographics/header (Correct answer)
- Lab results
Correct answer: Patient demographics/header
The patient demographics or header section of the EHR contains identifying information, including the assigned primary care provider.
Question 6: A registration system automatically checks insurance eligibility in real time. What type of transaction does it use?
- X12 270/271 eligibility inquiry and response (Correct answer)
- X12 837 claim submission
- X12 835 remittance advice
- X12 834 enrollment
Correct answer: X12 270/271 eligibility inquiry and response
The X12 270 is the eligibility inquiry sent to payers, and the X12 271 is the response confirming patient coverage.
Question 7: Which system translates physician orders into instructions for pharmacy, lab, and radiology departments?
- Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) (Correct answer)
- Master Patient Index (MPI)
- Revenue Cycle Management system
- Health Information Exchange (HIE)
Correct answer: Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE)
CPOE systems allow providers to enter orders electronically, which are then routed to the appropriate ancillary departments.
PAR Healthcare Information Systems 3
A Patient Access Representative notices a duplicate medical record number for the same patient.
What is this situation called?