Western Governors University (WGU)
WGU D909 Healthcare Law and Ethics
OA 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
Western Governors University (WGU) | University-Level Healthcare Administration Students
100 Verified Questions | 4 Core Domains | Academic Year 2026/2027
Prepared by
Western Governors University (WGU) | D909 | Healthcare Law and Ethics
Objective Assessment (OA) Comprehensive Examination Actual Exam | Academic
Year 2026/2027
WGU D909 Healthcare Law and Ethics OA 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
,INTRODUCTION
This examination document contains 100 original Verified Questions created for the WGU D909
Healthcare Law and Ethics Objective Assessment (OA) Comprehensive Examination, organized in
an equal distribution across four core domains: Domain 1: Healthcare Regulatory Frameworks
and Compliance; Domain 2: Patient Rights, Informed Consent, and Confidentiality; Domain 3:
Ethical Principles and Decision-Making Models; and Domain 4: Professional Liability,
Malpractice, and Risk Management. Every question is an original work designed to reinforce the
official D909 Healthcare Law and Ethics Objective Assessment (OA) Comprehensive Examination
course objectives, drawing on foundational healthcare law textbook methodology such as
Showalter's The Law and Ethics of Health Care Administration together with the official WGU
D909 course materials. The content is aligned to the 2026/2027 academic year and is intended to
build actual exam readiness and lasting professional proficiency for University-Level healthcare
administration students.
ACTUAL QUESTIONS
Domain 1: Healthcare Regulatory Frameworks and Compliance
Question 1. Which arrangement does the federal physician self-referral statute,
commonly known as the Stark Law, specifically prohibit?
A. A physician employing a certified coder to assign billing codes
B. A hospital paying market-rate rent to an unrelated landlord for office space
C. A nurse practitioner referring a patient to an in-house pharmacy for over-the-counter items
D. A physician referring Medicare patients for designated health services to an entity in which
the physician has a financial relationship
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Under the Stark Law, a physician may not refer Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries
for designated health services to an entity with which the physician (or an immediate family
member) holds a financial relationship, unless a statutory exception applies. This strict-liability
rule is a core compliance topic in the WGU D909 course materials and in Showalter's The Law
and Ethics of Health Care Administration.
Question 2. Which statement accurately describes the federal Anti-Kickback
Statute?
A. It applies only to referrals made by hospital administrators
B. It prohibits advertising by healthcare facilities
C. It is a criminal statute that prohibits offering or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of
business reimbursable by federal health care programs
D. It permits referrals purchased at fair market value without any further conditions
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The Anti-Kickback Statute is a criminal law that makes it unlawful to knowingly and
willfully offer, pay, solicit, or receive remuneration to induce referrals of items or services
payable by federal health care programs. Unlike Stark, it requires intent, a distinction
emphasized throughout the WGU D909 curriculum.
Question 3. Under the qui tam provision of the federal False Claims Act, a private
citizen with knowledge of fraudulent claims may:
A. Receive immunity from all future prosecution
B. File a lawsuit on behalf of the government and share in any recovery
C. Be barred from bringing any claim once the government declines to intervene
D. Recover double damages automatically without proving loss
Correct Answer: B
WGU D909 Healthcare Law and Ethics OA 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
, Rationale: The qui tam mechanism permits a whistleblower (relator) to bring a False Claims
Act action in the name of the government and to receive a share of any recovery, which
incentivizes insiders to expose fraud against federal health programs. This is foundational
material in the WGU D909 course materials.
Question 4. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA)
requires hospitals with emergency departments to:
A. Provide a medical screening examination and stabilizing treatment to any individual who
comes to the emergency department, regardless of ability to pay
B. Admit every patient who arrives at the emergency department
C. Provide free outpatient medications to uninsured patients
D. Transfer uninsured patients to public hospitals immediately
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: EMTALA imposes a federal duty to screen and stabilize every person presenting to
an emergency department, irrespective of insurance status or ability to pay, and restricts
inappropriate transfers. Showalter's The Law and Ethics of Health Care Administration
presents EMTALA as a cornerstone of hospital regulatory compliance.
Question 5. The primary purpose of state certificate-of-need statutes is to:
A. Guarantee rural patients transportation to medical appointments
B. Require physicians to demonstrate need before treating uninsured patients
C. Limit the number of medical students admitted to each program
D. Require state approval before constructing additional facilities, adding beds, or acquiring
major medical equipment in order to control costs and duplication
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Certificate-of-need programs require providers to obtain state approval before
major capital expansions, a cost-containment tool designed to prevent unnecessary duplication
of services. The regulatory rationale is covered in the WGU D909 course materials.
Question 6. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) that audits health care
organizations for fraud, waste, and abuse operates within which federal
department?
A. Department of Justice
B. Department of Veterans Affairs
C. Department of Health and Human Services
D. Department of the Treasury
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The OIG of the Department of Health and Human Services is the principal federal
watchdog for Medicare and Medicaid integrity, issuing fraud alerts, compliance guidance, and
exclusions. Knowing the OIG's home agency is a basic expectation of the WGU D909 curriculum.
Question 7. Which federal agency enforces the Controlled Substances Act and
administers the five schedules of controlled drugs?
A. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
B. The Drug Enforcement Administration
C. The Food and Drug Administration
D. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) enforces the Controlled Substances
Act, maintaining Schedules I through V and regulating practitioner registration, prescribing,
dispensing, and recordkeeping, as described in the WGU D909 course materials.
WGU D909 Healthcare Law and Ethics OA 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
WGU D909 Healthcare Law and Ethics
OA 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
Western Governors University (WGU) | University-Level Healthcare Administration Students
100 Verified Questions | 4 Core Domains | Academic Year 2026/2027
Prepared by
Western Governors University (WGU) | D909 | Healthcare Law and Ethics
Objective Assessment (OA) Comprehensive Examination Actual Exam | Academic
Year 2026/2027
WGU D909 Healthcare Law and Ethics OA 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
,INTRODUCTION
This examination document contains 100 original Verified Questions created for the WGU D909
Healthcare Law and Ethics Objective Assessment (OA) Comprehensive Examination, organized in
an equal distribution across four core domains: Domain 1: Healthcare Regulatory Frameworks
and Compliance; Domain 2: Patient Rights, Informed Consent, and Confidentiality; Domain 3:
Ethical Principles and Decision-Making Models; and Domain 4: Professional Liability,
Malpractice, and Risk Management. Every question is an original work designed to reinforce the
official D909 Healthcare Law and Ethics Objective Assessment (OA) Comprehensive Examination
course objectives, drawing on foundational healthcare law textbook methodology such as
Showalter's The Law and Ethics of Health Care Administration together with the official WGU
D909 course materials. The content is aligned to the 2026/2027 academic year and is intended to
build actual exam readiness and lasting professional proficiency for University-Level healthcare
administration students.
ACTUAL QUESTIONS
Domain 1: Healthcare Regulatory Frameworks and Compliance
Question 1. Which arrangement does the federal physician self-referral statute,
commonly known as the Stark Law, specifically prohibit?
A. A physician employing a certified coder to assign billing codes
B. A hospital paying market-rate rent to an unrelated landlord for office space
C. A nurse practitioner referring a patient to an in-house pharmacy for over-the-counter items
D. A physician referring Medicare patients for designated health services to an entity in which
the physician has a financial relationship
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Under the Stark Law, a physician may not refer Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries
for designated health services to an entity with which the physician (or an immediate family
member) holds a financial relationship, unless a statutory exception applies. This strict-liability
rule is a core compliance topic in the WGU D909 course materials and in Showalter's The Law
and Ethics of Health Care Administration.
Question 2. Which statement accurately describes the federal Anti-Kickback
Statute?
A. It applies only to referrals made by hospital administrators
B. It prohibits advertising by healthcare facilities
C. It is a criminal statute that prohibits offering or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of
business reimbursable by federal health care programs
D. It permits referrals purchased at fair market value without any further conditions
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The Anti-Kickback Statute is a criminal law that makes it unlawful to knowingly and
willfully offer, pay, solicit, or receive remuneration to induce referrals of items or services
payable by federal health care programs. Unlike Stark, it requires intent, a distinction
emphasized throughout the WGU D909 curriculum.
Question 3. Under the qui tam provision of the federal False Claims Act, a private
citizen with knowledge of fraudulent claims may:
A. Receive immunity from all future prosecution
B. File a lawsuit on behalf of the government and share in any recovery
C. Be barred from bringing any claim once the government declines to intervene
D. Recover double damages automatically without proving loss
Correct Answer: B
WGU D909 Healthcare Law and Ethics OA 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
, Rationale: The qui tam mechanism permits a whistleblower (relator) to bring a False Claims
Act action in the name of the government and to receive a share of any recovery, which
incentivizes insiders to expose fraud against federal health programs. This is foundational
material in the WGU D909 course materials.
Question 4. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA)
requires hospitals with emergency departments to:
A. Provide a medical screening examination and stabilizing treatment to any individual who
comes to the emergency department, regardless of ability to pay
B. Admit every patient who arrives at the emergency department
C. Provide free outpatient medications to uninsured patients
D. Transfer uninsured patients to public hospitals immediately
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: EMTALA imposes a federal duty to screen and stabilize every person presenting to
an emergency department, irrespective of insurance status or ability to pay, and restricts
inappropriate transfers. Showalter's The Law and Ethics of Health Care Administration
presents EMTALA as a cornerstone of hospital regulatory compliance.
Question 5. The primary purpose of state certificate-of-need statutes is to:
A. Guarantee rural patients transportation to medical appointments
B. Require physicians to demonstrate need before treating uninsured patients
C. Limit the number of medical students admitted to each program
D. Require state approval before constructing additional facilities, adding beds, or acquiring
major medical equipment in order to control costs and duplication
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Certificate-of-need programs require providers to obtain state approval before
major capital expansions, a cost-containment tool designed to prevent unnecessary duplication
of services. The regulatory rationale is covered in the WGU D909 course materials.
Question 6. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) that audits health care
organizations for fraud, waste, and abuse operates within which federal
department?
A. Department of Justice
B. Department of Veterans Affairs
C. Department of Health and Human Services
D. Department of the Treasury
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The OIG of the Department of Health and Human Services is the principal federal
watchdog for Medicare and Medicaid integrity, issuing fraud alerts, compliance guidance, and
exclusions. Knowing the OIG's home agency is a basic expectation of the WGU D909 curriculum.
Question 7. Which federal agency enforces the Controlled Substances Act and
administers the five schedules of controlled drugs?
A. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
B. The Drug Enforcement Administration
C. The Food and Drug Administration
D. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) enforces the Controlled Substances
Act, maintaining Schedules I through V and regulating practitioner registration, prescribing,
dispensing, and recordkeeping, as described in the WGU D909 course materials.
WGU D909 Healthcare Law and Ethics OA 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
