PTA Current Events and Civics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which federal agency is primarily responsible for administering Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements for physical therapy services?
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (Correct answer)
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Correct answer: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
CMS oversees Medicare and Medicaid programs and sets coverage and reimbursement policies that directly affect PT and PTA practice.
Question 2: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law in which year?
- 1985
- 1990 (Correct answer)
- 1995
- 2001
Correct answer: 1990
The ADA was signed on July 26, 1990, prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities in public life, workplaces, and services.
Question 3: Under the U.S. federal system, who primarily holds authority to license healthcare professionals such as PTAs?
- The federal government via CMS
- Individual state governments (Correct answer)
- The American Physical Therapy Association
- The Joint Commission
Correct answer: Individual state governments
Professional licensing is a power reserved to the states under the 10th Amendment, so each state sets its own PTA licensure requirements.
Question 4: Which branch of the U.S. government has the power to create new federal healthcare legislation such as the ACA?
- Executive branch
- Legislative branch (Correct answer)
- Judicial branch
- Administrative branch
Correct answer: Legislative branch
Article I of the Constitution grants the legislative branch (Congress) the power to create federal laws, including healthcare legislation.
Question 5: The 14th Amendment's equal protection clause is most directly relevant in healthcare contexts involving:
- Mandatory vaccination policies
- Discrimination against patients based on race or disability (Correct answer)
- Setting insurance premium rates
- Establishing hospital accreditation standards
Correct answer: Discrimination against patients based on race or disability
The 14th Amendment's equal protection clause prohibits discriminatory treatment, making it foundational in healthcare anti-discrimination cases.
Question 6: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) most significantly impacted PTAs by:
- Eliminating the need for physician referrals to PT
- Expanding insured patient populations who can access physical therapy (Correct answer)
- Setting a national scope of practice for PTAs
- Requiring PTAs to hold doctoral-level degrees
Correct answer: Expanding insured patient populations who can access physical therapy
The ACA expanded insurance coverage to millions of Americans, increasing the pool of patients eligible for reimbursed PT services.
Question 7: OSHA standards are most relevant to PTA practice in terms of:
- Setting therapy billing codes for outpatient visits
- Establishing workplace safety requirements to protect staff and patients (Correct answer)
- Determining patient eligibility for Medicare benefits
- Regulating continuing education requirements for licensure
Correct answer: Establishing workplace safety requirements to protect staff and patients
OSHA sets standards for safe working conditions, including proper body mechanics, bloodborne pathogen protocols, and ergonomic safety relevant to PT settings.
PTA Current Events and Civics 2
Which federal agency is primarily responsible for administering Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements for physical therapy services?