CMAA General Practice 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient calls requesting their lab results over the phone. The medical administrative assistant should:
- Read all results immediately to the patient
- Verify the patient's identity before releasing any information (Correct answer)
- Take a message and have the physician call back without verification
- Refuse to discuss results under any circumstances
Correct answer: Verify the patient's identity before releasing any information
Patient identity must be verified before releasing any protected health information to comply with HIPAA.
Question 2: Which form is used by patients to authorize the release of their medical records to a third party?
- CMS-1500
- HIPAA Privacy Notice
- Authorization for Release of Medical Information (Correct answer)
- ABN (Advance Beneficiary Notice)
Correct answer: Authorization for Release of Medical Information
An Authorization for Release of Medical Information form is the proper document patients sign to allow their records to be shared with a third party.
Question 3: When scheduling a follow-up appointment for a patient who requires an interpreter, the CMAA should:
- Schedule the appointment without noting the interpreter need
- Document the interpreter requirement and arrange services in advance (Correct answer)
- Ask the patient to bring a family member to interpret
- Shorten the appointment time to reduce interpreter costs
Correct answer: Document the interpreter requirement and arrange services in advance
Documenting and arranging interpreter services in advance ensures the patient receives appropriate care and supports ADA and Title VI compliance.
Question 4: A superbill (encounter form) is PRIMARILY used to:
- Document a patient's medication history
- Capture diagnosis and procedure codes for billing purposes (Correct answer)
- Record a patient's vital signs
- Schedule the next appointment
Correct answer: Capture diagnosis and procedure codes for billing purposes
A superbill captures ICD and CPT codes along with fee information needed to generate an insurance claim or patient bill.
Question 5: The term 'accounts receivable' in a medical office refers to:
- Money owed by the practice to suppliers
- Money owed to the practice by patients and insurers (Correct answer)
- The monthly payroll total
- Outstanding prescription refill requests
Correct answer: Money owed to the practice by patients and insurers
Accounts receivable represents funds owed to the practice for services already rendered but not yet collected.
Question 6: Which scheduling method sets aside specific time slots each day for walk-in or urgent patients?
- Wave scheduling
- Open booking
- Modified wave scheduling (Correct answer)
- Cluster scheduling
Correct answer: Modified wave scheduling
Modified wave scheduling builds in buffer slots at predictable intervals to accommodate urgent or walk-in patients without disrupting the schedule.
Question 7: An Explanation of Benefits (EOB) sent by an insurer to the practice primarily shows:
- The patient's complete medical history
- How the insurer processed the claim and what was paid or denied (Correct answer)
- The practice's monthly revenue totals
- A list of covered medications under the patient's plan
Correct answer: How the insurer processed the claim and what was paid or denied
An EOB details the claim adjudication — amounts billed, allowed, paid by insurance, and any patient responsibility or denial reasons.
CMAA General Practice 4
A patient calls requesting their lab results over the phone.
The medical administrative assistant should: