Minnesota Public Health Informatics
Specialist Exam Practice Questions And
Correct Answers (Verified Answers) Plus
Rationales 2026 Q&A | Instant
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1. Which of the following best describes public health informatics?
A. The use of accounting software in hospitals
B. The systematic application of information science and technology to
public health practice, research, and learning
C. The use of robotics in surgery
D. The study of genetics in public health
Answer: B. The systematic application of information science and
technology to public health practice, research, and learning
Rationale: Public health informatics integrates information systems, data
management, and technology to improve population health outcomes and
public health operations.
, 2. Which organization is primarily responsible for disease surveillance in
the United States?
A. FDA
B. OSHA
C. CDC
D. CMS
Answer: C. CDC
Rationale: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention oversees
national disease surveillance and public health monitoring activities.
3. What is the primary purpose of an Electronic Health Record (EHR)?
A. Billing insurance companies only
B. Tracking employee attendance
C. Digitally storing and managing patient health information
D. Replacing laboratory testing
Answer: C. Digitally storing and managing patient health information
Rationale: EHRs provide comprehensive electronic patient records that
support clinical care, communication, and reporting.
4. Which coding system is commonly used for diagnoses?
,A. CPT
B. ICD-10-CM
C. HL7
D. DICOM
Answer: B. ICD-10-CM
Rationale: ICD-10-CM is the standard classification system used to code
diagnoses and health conditions.
5. What does HIPAA primarily protect?
A. Financial markets
B. Medical equipment
C. Patient privacy and health information
D. Drug manufacturing processes
Answer: C. Patient privacy and health information
Rationale: HIPAA establishes standards for protecting sensitive patient
health information.
6. Which term refers to the ability of different systems to exchange and
use information?
A. Scalability
B. Interoperability
, C. Accessibility
D. Portability
Answer: B. Interoperability
Rationale: Interoperability enables healthcare systems and organizations
to exchange and effectively use shared data.
7. What is the purpose of syndromic surveillance?
A. Tracking hospital finances
B. Monitoring disease symptoms and trends for early outbreak detection
C. Managing employee payroll
D. Conducting pharmaceutical sales
Answer: B. Monitoring disease symptoms and trends for early outbreak
detection
Rationale: Syndromic surveillance identifies unusual disease patterns
before diagnoses are confirmed.
8. Which database model organizes data into tables?
A. Hierarchical
B. Relational
C. Network
D. Object-oriented
Specialist Exam Practice Questions And
Correct Answers (Verified Answers) Plus
Rationales 2026 Q&A | Instant
Download Pdf
1. Which of the following best describes public health informatics?
A. The use of accounting software in hospitals
B. The systematic application of information science and technology to
public health practice, research, and learning
C. The use of robotics in surgery
D. The study of genetics in public health
Answer: B. The systematic application of information science and
technology to public health practice, research, and learning
Rationale: Public health informatics integrates information systems, data
management, and technology to improve population health outcomes and
public health operations.
, 2. Which organization is primarily responsible for disease surveillance in
the United States?
A. FDA
B. OSHA
C. CDC
D. CMS
Answer: C. CDC
Rationale: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention oversees
national disease surveillance and public health monitoring activities.
3. What is the primary purpose of an Electronic Health Record (EHR)?
A. Billing insurance companies only
B. Tracking employee attendance
C. Digitally storing and managing patient health information
D. Replacing laboratory testing
Answer: C. Digitally storing and managing patient health information
Rationale: EHRs provide comprehensive electronic patient records that
support clinical care, communication, and reporting.
4. Which coding system is commonly used for diagnoses?
,A. CPT
B. ICD-10-CM
C. HL7
D. DICOM
Answer: B. ICD-10-CM
Rationale: ICD-10-CM is the standard classification system used to code
diagnoses and health conditions.
5. What does HIPAA primarily protect?
A. Financial markets
B. Medical equipment
C. Patient privacy and health information
D. Drug manufacturing processes
Answer: C. Patient privacy and health information
Rationale: HIPAA establishes standards for protecting sensitive patient
health information.
6. Which term refers to the ability of different systems to exchange and
use information?
A. Scalability
B. Interoperability
, C. Accessibility
D. Portability
Answer: B. Interoperability
Rationale: Interoperability enables healthcare systems and organizations
to exchange and effectively use shared data.
7. What is the purpose of syndromic surveillance?
A. Tracking hospital finances
B. Monitoring disease symptoms and trends for early outbreak detection
C. Managing employee payroll
D. Conducting pharmaceutical sales
Answer: B. Monitoring disease symptoms and trends for early outbreak
detection
Rationale: Syndromic surveillance identifies unusual disease patterns
before diagnoses are confirmed.
8. Which database model organizes data into tables?
A. Hierarchical
B. Relational
C. Network
D. Object-oriented