Chapter 24 — Quiz

26 questions. Answers and explanations are in the instructor guide.


1. The largest single category of preventable denial in most organizations is created:

  • A. By coders selecting the wrong code
  • B. At registration
  • C. By payers applying proprietary edits
  • D. In the clearinghouse

2. An error caught at registration versus the same error worked as a denial consumes staff time in a ratio of approximately:

  • A. 3 to 1
  • B. 15 to 1
  • C. 90 to 1
  • D. The same either way

3. A wrong patient address produces:

  • A. A denial for invalid demographics
  • B. A rejection at the clearinghouse
  • C. No denial at all — a patient who never receives a bill and an account that ages
  • D. A duplicate claim

4. The most expensive registration field is:

  • A. The member identification number
  • B. The date of birth
  • C. "Has anything changed?"
  • D. The group number

5. Which month produces the most registration errors?

  • A. July
  • B. January
  • C. December
  • D. They are evenly distributed

6. Verifying the identity of the person presenting is primarily:

  • A. A revenue protection measure
  • B. A patient safety matter, because medical identity theft contaminates the victim's record
  • C. Required only for new patients
  • D. A HIPAA authorization requirement

7. A 270 is:

  • A. The eligibility response
  • B. The eligibility and benefit inquiry
  • C. The claim
  • D. The prior authorization request

8. Which transaction is the prior authorization request and response?

  • A. 276/277
  • B. 278
  • C. 837
  • D. 834

9. The deductible amount returned on an eligibility response:

  • A. Is always current
  • B. Reflects claims the payer has processed, and therefore lags
  • C. Is guaranteed for 30 days
  • D. Includes claims incurred but not submitted

10. An estimate built on a lagging deductible figure will most likely:

  • A. Ask the patient for too little
  • B. Ask the patient for too much
  • C. Be exactly right
  • D. Be rejected by the payer

11. "Other coverage: none indicated" on a 271 means:

  • A. The patient has no other coverage
  • B. The payer has no other coverage on file
  • C. Coordination of benefits has been resolved
  • D. Medicare is primary

12. Eligibility should be verified:

  • A. Once, at check-in
  • B. Once, at scheduling
  • C. At scheduling, 48–72 hours before, and on the day of service
  • D. Only for new patients

13. Which verification point is the only one at which the encounter can still be rearranged?

  • A. Day of service
  • B. 48–72 hours before
  • C. At scheduling
  • D. After the visit

14. A referral is about:

  • A. What service is performed
  • B. Who the patient sees
  • C. Where the service is performed
  • D. When the service is performed

15. A predetermination is:

  • A. A binding authorization
  • B. A non-binding advance review of whether a service would be covered
  • C. Required for all elective surgery
  • D. Another word for precertification

16. Which is NOT among the eight things to record about an authorization?

  • A. The approved date range
  • B. The approved number of units
  • C. The patient's copayment amount
  • D. The approved rendering provider

17. An authorization number recorded without its scope is:

  • A. Sufficient for billing
  • B. A number, not a record
  • C. Required by HIPAA
  • D. Valid for 90 days

18. A 271 reporting no other coverage is insufficient for coordination of benefits because:

  • A. The transaction is optional
  • B. It reflects the payer's records, and the questionnaire asks the patient
  • C. It expires in 24 hours
  • D. Medicare does not participate in the transaction

19. Billing Medicare as primary when another payer is primary is:

  • A. Acceptable if corrected later
  • B. An overpayment, to which the sixty-day rule attaches on identification
  • C. A rejection, not a denial
  • D. Permitted for emergency services

20. A patient with Medicare is treated for an injury sustained at work. Primary is generally:

  • A. Medicare
  • B. The spouse's group health plan
  • C. Workers' compensation
  • D. The patient

21. Which is prohibited?

  • A. Offering a payment plan
  • B. Offering financial assistance under a written policy
  • C. Routinely waiving patient cost-sharing
  • D. Collecting a copayment at check-in

22. The better collection script asks about:

  • A. Whether the patient wants to pay
  • B. Method of payment, stating the amount as a fact
  • C. The patient's income
  • D. Whether the patient has questions

23. A patient estimate should be computed from:

  • A. The practice's charge
  • B. The allowed amount
  • C. The chargemaster
  • D. The prior year's payment

24. An estimate of \$16.98 assumes a met deductible. If the deductible is not actually met, the patient's share for the same services becomes:

  • A. \$16.98
  • B. \$33.96
  • C. \$84.88
  • D. \$0.00

25. Account 10-4471's front desk collected \$30.00 and the patient's actual responsibility was:

  • A. \$30.00
  • B. \$47.58
  • C. \$17.58
  • D. \$168.70

26. The one thing Account 10-4471's front desk missed was:

  • A. Verifying eligibility
  • B. Collecting the copay
  • C. Asking what the visit was for
  • D. Checking for a referral requirement