CMAA Medical Office Procedures 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which scheduling method assigns specific appointment types to designated time blocks throughout the day?
- Open access scheduling
- Stream scheduling
- Wave scheduling
- Cluster scheduling (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Cluster scheduling
Cluster (or categorized) scheduling groups similar appointment types together, improving workflow efficiency and resource utilization.
Question 2: A patient requests a copy of their own medical records. Under HIPAA, the practice must generally fulfill this request within how many days?
- 10 days
- 30 days (Correct answer)
- 60 days
- 90 days
Correct answer: 30 days
HIPAA's Privacy Rule requires covered entities to provide access to records within 30 days, with one 30-day extension if needed.
Question 3: What does the abbreviation EHR stand for in a medical office context?
- Electronic Health Record (Correct answer)
- Emergency Hospital Report
- Encounter History Register
- External Health Reference
Correct answer: Electronic Health Record
An Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a digital version of a patient's paper chart used across healthcare settings.
Question 4: An Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) is required when:
- A Medicare patient needs a referral to a specialist
- Medicare may deny payment for a service because it may not be medically necessary (Correct answer)
- A patient wants to appeal a claim denial
- A provider retires from Medicare participation
Correct answer: Medicare may deny payment for a service because it may not be medically necessary
An ABN notifies Medicare beneficiaries in advance that a service may not be covered so they can decide whether to proceed and accept financial responsibility.
Question 5: Which of the following is an example of a tickler file used in a medical office?
- A list of current medication allergies
- A chronological reminder system for follow-up tasks and due dates (Correct answer)
- A log of all incoming faxes
- A database of insurance fee schedules
Correct answer: A chronological reminder system for follow-up tasks and due dates
A tickler file is a date-based organizational tool that prompts staff to complete tasks such as following up on referrals or lab results on a specific future date.
Question 6: When collecting a copayment at the time of service, the administrative assistant should ALWAYS:
- Waive it if the patient seems unable to pay without asking the provider
- Issue a receipt and post the payment to the patient's account immediately (Correct answer)
- Hold the payment until the insurance EOB arrives
- Apply it only to the oldest outstanding balance
Correct answer: Issue a receipt and post the payment to the patient's account immediately
Issuing a receipt and posting the payment immediately ensures accurate accounting and provides the patient proof of payment.
Question 7: Which federal law requires employers with 50 or more full-time employees to offer health insurance, directly affecting medical office eligibility verification workflows?
- COBRA
- ERISA
- The Affordable Care Act (ACA) (Correct answer)
- HIPAA
Correct answer: The Affordable Care Act (ACA)
The ACA's employer mandate requires applicable large employers to offer minimum essential coverage, influencing the types of insurance plans staff must verify.
CMAA Medical Office Procedures 5
Which scheduling method assigns specific appointment types to designated time blocks throughout the day?