CCMA Medical Law & Ethics Practice Questions
Medical Law & Ethics makes up 2 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest CCMA practice test. Here are 8 of the 8 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.
Updated by the Tigertest team. Weighted to the NHA CCMA test plan (3.0). Scope of practice varies by state.
1. A billing clerk asks the medical assistant for a patient's entire chart to process an insurance claim. Under HIPAA, the medical assistant should provide:
- A.Nothing unless the clerk has a subpoena
- B.Only the information needed for the claim
- C.A verbal summary of the full history
- D.The entire chart, since the clerk is staff
Answer: B. The HIPAA minimum necessary standard limits use and disclosure of PHI to what is needed for the task, even among staff. Payment is a permitted use, so no subpoena or extra authorization is required.
2. A medical assistant must step away from a workstation that is displaying a patient's record. The medical assistant should:
- A.Turn the monitor toward the wall
- B.Ask a coworker to watch the screen
- C.Minimize the record window and leave
- D.Lock the screen or log off
Answer: D. The HIPAA Security Rule requires safeguards such as locking or logging off unattended workstations and never sharing passwords. A minimized or turned screen can still be accessed, and an unauthorized view could be a breach requiring notification within 60 days.
3. A patient rolls up her sleeve and extends her arm when told it is time for her flu shot. This is an example of:
- A.Implied consent
- B.Informed consent
- C.Expressed written consent
- D.Health care proxy
Answer: A. Implied consent is shown by the patient's actions for a routine, low-risk procedure. Informed consent for surgery or risky procedures must be obtained by the provider, who explains risks, benefits and alternatives.
4. A patient wants to name her daughter to make medical decisions if she becomes unable to. The document she needs is a:
- A.Notice of privacy practices
- B.Living will
- C.Health care power of attorney
- D.Do not resuscitate order
Answer: C. A durable power of attorney for health care names an agent to make decisions when the patient cannot. A living will states treatment wishes but does not name a decision maker, and a DNR is a provider order about CPR only.
5. A patient asks the medical assistant whether her high cholesterol result means she needs medication. The medical assistant should:
- A.Suggest a statin that works well
- B.Reassure her that diet alone will fix it
- C.Refer the question to the provider
- D.Explain what the result probably means
Answer: C. Interpreting results and recommending treatment are outside the medical assistant's scope of practice; the provider must answer. Acting beyond scope can breach the standard of care and support a negligence claim.
6. A medical assistant gives an injection after the patient clearly refuses it. This could result in a claim of:
- A.Battery
- B.Invasion of privacy
- C.Defamation
- D.Abandonment
Answer: A. Battery is unauthorized touching, and a patient may refuse any procedure. Defamation is false statements that harm reputation, and abandonment is ending care without written notice and time to find another provider.
7. While weighing a child, the medical assistant notices bruises in different stages of healing on the child's back. The medical assistant should:
- A.Say nothing to protect confidentiality
- B.Wait to see whether new bruises appear
- C.Ask the parent to explain every bruise
- D.Document the findings and notify the provider
Answer: D. Suspected child abuse is a legal exception to confidentiality, and mandatory reporting rules require that it be documented and reported, following office policy and state law. Confronting the parent can endanger the child, and waiting delays protection.
8. A medical assistant sees a coworker's social media post showing a patient's face in an exam room. The medical assistant should:
- A.Share the post so other staff are warned
- B.Report it to the supervisor or privacy officer
- C.Comment publicly asking the coworker to remove it
- D.Ignore it because the patient is not named
Answer: B. A photo of a patient is PHI even without a name, so the post violates HIPAA and professional boundaries and must be reported. Commenting or sharing spreads the disclosure further.
Practice all 8 medical law & ethics questions, and the rest of the 200-question bank, in the free CCMA training sets. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
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