CBHCM Professional Ethics and Responsibilities 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A behavioral health case manager discovers that a colleague is billing for services not rendered. What is the case manager's primary ethical obligation?
- Ignore the situation to preserve workplace harmony
- Report the fraud to the appropriate supervisor or compliance officer (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague privately and hope they self-correct
- Document the incident but take no further action
Correct answer: Report the fraud to the appropriate supervisor or compliance officer
Case managers have an ethical duty to report fraud and billing irregularities through proper channels to protect clients and the integrity of the profession.
Question 2: Under HIPAA, which of the following is a permitted disclosure of protected health information (PHI) without client authorization?
- Sharing records with the client's employer
- Disclosing to law enforcement when required by law (Correct answer)
- Releasing information to the client's friends
- Providing records to a marketing company
Correct answer: Disclosing to law enforcement when required by law
HIPAA permits disclosure of PHI to law enforcement when required by law, such as in response to a court order or mandatory reporting obligation.
Question 3: A case manager is asked by their supervisor to falsify a client's progress notes to justify continued insurance coverage. The case manager should:
- Comply because supervisors have authority over documentation
- Refuse and report the request through appropriate ethical channels (Correct answer)
- Alter the notes minimally to avoid conflict
- Ask the client to sign off on the falsified notes
Correct answer: Refuse and report the request through appropriate ethical channels
Falsifying documentation is unethical and illegal; the case manager must refuse and report the request through ethics or compliance channels.
Question 4: Which ethical principle requires a case manager to act in the client's best interest, even when it conflicts with the case manager's personal interests?
- Autonomy
- Justice
- Beneficence (Correct answer)
- Fidelity
Correct answer: Beneficence
Beneficence obligates professionals to actively promote client well-being and act in the client's best interest above their own.
Question 5: A CBHCM case manager receives a gift from a grateful client. According to professional ethics, what is the most appropriate response?
- Accept the gift graciously to avoid offending the client
- Accept small gifts under $25 as a courtesy
- Decline the gift and explain the professional boundary regarding gifts (Correct answer)
- Accept and report it to a supervisor
Correct answer: Decline the gift and explain the professional boundary regarding gifts
Professional ethics generally prohibit accepting gifts from clients as it can blur boundaries and create conflicts of interest.
Question 6: Cultural competence in behavioral health case management requires the case manager to:
- Treat all clients identically regardless of background
- Impose the dominant culture's values when they conflict with a client's cultural beliefs
- Recognize and respect cultural differences when developing individualized care plans (Correct answer)
- Refer all clients from minority cultures to culturally-matched providers only
Correct answer: Recognize and respect cultural differences when developing individualized care plans
Cultural competence means acknowledging and integrating clients' cultural backgrounds into individualized, respectful care planning.
Question 7: When a case manager suspects a client is being abused by a family member, the first step should be:
- Confront the alleged abuser directly
- Report the suspicion to the appropriate child or adult protective services as required by mandatory reporting laws (Correct answer)
- Wait for the client to disclose more before acting
- Discuss the suspicion only with the treatment team
Correct answer: Report the suspicion to the appropriate child or adult protective services as required by mandatory reporting laws
Mandatory reporting laws require case managers to report suspected abuse to protective services regardless of client wishes or certainty of abuse.
CBHCM Professional Ethics and Responsibilities 2
A behavioral health case manager discovers that a colleague is billing for services not rendered.
What is the case manager's primary ethical obligation?