PTA Current Events and Civics 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The APTA Code of Ethics is primarily intended to:
- Set reimbursement rates for physical therapy services
- Guide PTAs and PTs in ethical professional conduct and decision-making (Correct answer)
- Establish state licensure examination requirements
- Provide legal defense for PTAs in malpractice cases
Correct answer: Guide PTAs and PTs in ethical professional conduct and decision-making
The APTA Code of Ethics outlines the core values and ethical obligations that guide professional behavior for physical therapists and PTAs.
Question 2: A PTA most directly participates in civic engagement within the profession by:
- Avoiding all social media platforms to protect patient privacy
- Contacting state legislators to advocate for PT-friendly practice act updates (Correct answer)
- Limiting practice to only the most profitable patient populations
- Refusing to treat patients without complete insurance verification
Correct answer: Contacting state legislators to advocate for PT-friendly practice act updates
Contacting legislators to influence healthcare policy is a direct form of civic engagement that advances both the profession and patient access to care.
Question 3: Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that:
- Private employers hire a minimum percentage of disabled workers
- State and local governments make programs and services accessible to people with disabilities (Correct answer)
- All hospitals accept Medicaid regardless of reimbursement rates
- Health insurers cannot charge higher premiums based on disability status
Correct answer: State and local governments make programs and services accessible to people with disabilities
Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination by public entities and requires them to make programs, services, and activities accessible.
Question 4: Which federal law mandates that eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for medical reasons without losing their job?
- ADA
- HIPAA
- FMLA (Correct answer)
- COBRA
Correct answer: FMLA
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) guarantees eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year for qualifying medical or family reasons.
Question 5: In the context of civics, 'federalism' as it applies to healthcare regulation means:
- All healthcare decisions are made exclusively at the federal level
- Healthcare authority is shared between federal and state governments (Correct answer)
- The president can override state medical licensing boards
- Healthcare is constitutionally guaranteed as a federal right
Correct answer: Healthcare authority is shared between federal and state governments
Federalism divides governmental powers between federal and state levels; in healthcare, states regulate licensure while the federal government manages programs like Medicare.
Question 6: A 'never event' in current healthcare policy refers to:
- A rare but clinically acceptable complication of treatment
- A serious, preventable adverse event that should not occur in a properly managed facility (Correct answer)
- A treatment outcome that is statistically unpredictable
- A billing code reserved for experimental procedures
Correct answer: A serious, preventable adverse event that should not occur in a properly managed facility
Never events are serious, largely preventable patient safety incidents (e.g., wrong-site surgery) that are tracked by CMS as indicators of poor quality care.
Question 7: The Patient Self-Determination Act requires healthcare facilities to inform patients of their right to:
- Choose the treating therapist of their preference
- Request experimental therapies not covered by insurance
- Create advance directives documenting their healthcare wishes (Correct answer)
- Access their therapist's professional credentials at any time
Correct answer: Create advance directives documenting their healthcare wishes
The Patient Self-Determination Act requires facilities receiving Medicare/Medicaid to inform patients of their right to make advance directives and refuse treatment.
PTA Current Events and Civics 3
The APTA Code of Ethics is primarily intended to: