WGU D909-HEALTHCARE LAW AND ETHICS OA EXAM
TESTBANK| WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY | ALL
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2026/2027 | VERIFIED ANSWERS
PLUS RATIONALES | GRADED Q&A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY
GUIDE | VERIFIED LATEST 2027
1. A hospital compliance officer discovers that a billing clerk has been upcoding outpatient
surgical procedures for the past six months to maximize reimbursements. Which federal
legislation primarily governs this type of healthcare fraud and abuse?
A. Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act
B. False Claims Act
C. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
D. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
This is correct because the False Claims Act imposes liability on persons and companies who
defraud governmental programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, through practices like
upcoding.
2. A nurse practitioner working in an independent state notices that a local physician is
offering cash kickbacks for patient referrals to an imaging center. Which statute prohibits
this specific financial arrangement?
A. Stark Law
B. Anti-Kickback Statute
C. Sherman Antitrust Act
D. Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act
This is correct because the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute criminalizes the exchange of
remuneration of any kind for referrals of items or services reimbursable by a federal health
care program.
3. A patient diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer states they want to stop all life-
sustaining treatment and request comfort care only. The multidisciplinary team honors this
request. Which ethical principle primarily guides this decision?
A. Beneficence
B. Non-maleficence
C. Autonomy
D. Justice
This is correct because the principle of autonomy respects the patient's right to self-
determination and to make informed choices about their own medical treatment.
,4. A psychiatric hospital receives a court order demanding the medical records of an
involuntary patient for an ongoing criminal proceeding, without the patient's explicit
authorization. What allows the hospital to comply legally?
A. Privacy Rule exception for judicial and administrative proceedings
B. Emergency treatment exception under HIPAA
C. Public health reporting mandate
D. Freedom of Information Act disclosure guidelines
This is correct because HIPAA permits the disclosure of protected health information in
response to a court order, subpoena, or administrative tribunal order under specific
safeguards.
5. During a severe weather event, a community hospital experiences a major power failure,
requiring immediate patient transfers. Staff prioritize patients based on clinical acuity
rather than social status. Which ethical principle is being demonstrated?
A. Autonomy
B. Veracity
C. Justice
D. Fidelity
This is correct because justice involves the fair, equitable, and appropriate distribution of
healthcare resources based on medical need rather than arbitrary factors.
6. A nursing home administrator implements a policy requiring all residents to sign a
blanket waiver forfeiting their right to sue for negligence upon admission. Under contract
law, how is this provision typically viewed?
A. Fully enforceable due to private contract freedom
B. Void against public policy
C. Binding only if signed by a designated power of attorney
D. Subject to mandatory federal arbitration without review
This is correct because courts generally void blanket pre-dispute waivers of negligence in
long-term care admissions as they violate public policy protecting vulnerable populations.
7. A physician terminates the provider-patient relationship with a non-compliant patient
without giving adequate written notice or ensuring coverage continuity, resulting in patient
harm. What legal liability has the physician most likely incurred?
A. Breach of contract
B. Abandonment
C. Defamation
D. Assault
,This is correct because medical abandonment occurs when a healthcare provider abruptly
terminates the professional relationship without providing reasonable notice or ensuring that
ongoing care is covered by another qualified provider.
8. An adult child demands access to their elderly parent's electronic medical record. The
parent is alert, oriented, and has not designated the child as a personal representative. How
should the health information management department respond?
A. Grant access immediately under familial privilege laws
B. Deny access unless the competent patient signs a valid HIPAA authorization
C. Provide access only if the child pays the standard duplication fees
D. Contact the attending physician to override the patient's preference
This is correct because a competent adult patient retains full privacy rights over their health
information, and family members have no inherent right to access records without explicit
authorization.
9. A research institution plans to conduct a clinical trial involving vulnerable prisoner
populations. To comply with federal regulations, what specialized oversight body must
approve the protocol?
A. Institutional Review Board with a prisoner representative
B. State Department of Corrections Legal Division
C. Federal Bureau of Prisons Medical Director
D. National Institutes of Health Ethics Council
This is correct because federal regulations mandate that an Institutional Review Board
reviewing research involving prisoners must include at least one member who is a prisoner or
a prisoner representative with appropriate background.
10. A hospital board of directors fails to vet the credentials of a newly hired surgeon who
subsequently harms multiple patients due to incompetence. Under what legal doctrine can
the hospital be held directly liable?
A. Respondeat superior
B. Corporate negligence
C. Vicarious liability
D. Strict product liability
This is correct because corporate negligence holds the healthcare facility directly accountable
for its own duty to select and retain competent medical staff and maintain safe operational
systems.
, 11. A paramedic administers a sedative to a combative adult patient in an emergency
setting without consent, claiming it was necessary to prevent harm. The patient later sues.
Which legal defense best shields the paramedic?
A. Implied consent in an emergency
B. Express written waiver
C. Therapeutic privilege doctrine
D. Contractual assumption of risk
This is correct because emergency doctrine implies consent for medical treatment when an
unconscious or incapacitated patient is facing imminent threat to life or limb and cannot
provide actual consent.
12. A clinic manager notices that employees are sharing a single master login to access the
electronic health record system. Which HIPAA security standard does this practice
violate?
A. Physical safeguards for workstation security
B. Access control and unique user identification
C. Transmission security and encryption
D. Business associate agreement compliance
This is correct because the HIPAA Security Rule mandates unique user identification and
tracking to ensure accountability and restrict data access exclusively to authorized personnel.
13. A physician assistant fails to consult standard treatment guidelines when prescribing a
high-risk medication, leading to an adverse drug reaction. This action most accurately
reflects which legal concept?
A. Battery
B. Professional negligence or malpractice
C. Intentional infliction of emotional distress
D. Breach of express warranty
This is correct because professional malpractice involves a breach of the standard of care that
a reasonably prudent healthcare professional would have exercised under similar
circumstances, resulting in injury.
14. A public health department mandates quarantine for individuals exposed to a highly
contagious and lethal airborne pathogen. Which constitutional power permits state
governments to enact such restrictive measures for the public good?
A. Interstate commerce power
B. Police power
C. Eminent domain authority
D. Tax and spend clause
TESTBANK| WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY | ALL
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2026/2027 | VERIFIED ANSWERS
PLUS RATIONALES | GRADED Q&A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY
GUIDE | VERIFIED LATEST 2027
1. A hospital compliance officer discovers that a billing clerk has been upcoding outpatient
surgical procedures for the past six months to maximize reimbursements. Which federal
legislation primarily governs this type of healthcare fraud and abuse?
A. Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act
B. False Claims Act
C. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
D. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
This is correct because the False Claims Act imposes liability on persons and companies who
defraud governmental programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, through practices like
upcoding.
2. A nurse practitioner working in an independent state notices that a local physician is
offering cash kickbacks for patient referrals to an imaging center. Which statute prohibits
this specific financial arrangement?
A. Stark Law
B. Anti-Kickback Statute
C. Sherman Antitrust Act
D. Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act
This is correct because the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute criminalizes the exchange of
remuneration of any kind for referrals of items or services reimbursable by a federal health
care program.
3. A patient diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer states they want to stop all life-
sustaining treatment and request comfort care only. The multidisciplinary team honors this
request. Which ethical principle primarily guides this decision?
A. Beneficence
B. Non-maleficence
C. Autonomy
D. Justice
This is correct because the principle of autonomy respects the patient's right to self-
determination and to make informed choices about their own medical treatment.
,4. A psychiatric hospital receives a court order demanding the medical records of an
involuntary patient for an ongoing criminal proceeding, without the patient's explicit
authorization. What allows the hospital to comply legally?
A. Privacy Rule exception for judicial and administrative proceedings
B. Emergency treatment exception under HIPAA
C. Public health reporting mandate
D. Freedom of Information Act disclosure guidelines
This is correct because HIPAA permits the disclosure of protected health information in
response to a court order, subpoena, or administrative tribunal order under specific
safeguards.
5. During a severe weather event, a community hospital experiences a major power failure,
requiring immediate patient transfers. Staff prioritize patients based on clinical acuity
rather than social status. Which ethical principle is being demonstrated?
A. Autonomy
B. Veracity
C. Justice
D. Fidelity
This is correct because justice involves the fair, equitable, and appropriate distribution of
healthcare resources based on medical need rather than arbitrary factors.
6. A nursing home administrator implements a policy requiring all residents to sign a
blanket waiver forfeiting their right to sue for negligence upon admission. Under contract
law, how is this provision typically viewed?
A. Fully enforceable due to private contract freedom
B. Void against public policy
C. Binding only if signed by a designated power of attorney
D. Subject to mandatory federal arbitration without review
This is correct because courts generally void blanket pre-dispute waivers of negligence in
long-term care admissions as they violate public policy protecting vulnerable populations.
7. A physician terminates the provider-patient relationship with a non-compliant patient
without giving adequate written notice or ensuring coverage continuity, resulting in patient
harm. What legal liability has the physician most likely incurred?
A. Breach of contract
B. Abandonment
C. Defamation
D. Assault
,This is correct because medical abandonment occurs when a healthcare provider abruptly
terminates the professional relationship without providing reasonable notice or ensuring that
ongoing care is covered by another qualified provider.
8. An adult child demands access to their elderly parent's electronic medical record. The
parent is alert, oriented, and has not designated the child as a personal representative. How
should the health information management department respond?
A. Grant access immediately under familial privilege laws
B. Deny access unless the competent patient signs a valid HIPAA authorization
C. Provide access only if the child pays the standard duplication fees
D. Contact the attending physician to override the patient's preference
This is correct because a competent adult patient retains full privacy rights over their health
information, and family members have no inherent right to access records without explicit
authorization.
9. A research institution plans to conduct a clinical trial involving vulnerable prisoner
populations. To comply with federal regulations, what specialized oversight body must
approve the protocol?
A. Institutional Review Board with a prisoner representative
B. State Department of Corrections Legal Division
C. Federal Bureau of Prisons Medical Director
D. National Institutes of Health Ethics Council
This is correct because federal regulations mandate that an Institutional Review Board
reviewing research involving prisoners must include at least one member who is a prisoner or
a prisoner representative with appropriate background.
10. A hospital board of directors fails to vet the credentials of a newly hired surgeon who
subsequently harms multiple patients due to incompetence. Under what legal doctrine can
the hospital be held directly liable?
A. Respondeat superior
B. Corporate negligence
C. Vicarious liability
D. Strict product liability
This is correct because corporate negligence holds the healthcare facility directly accountable
for its own duty to select and retain competent medical staff and maintain safe operational
systems.
, 11. A paramedic administers a sedative to a combative adult patient in an emergency
setting without consent, claiming it was necessary to prevent harm. The patient later sues.
Which legal defense best shields the paramedic?
A. Implied consent in an emergency
B. Express written waiver
C. Therapeutic privilege doctrine
D. Contractual assumption of risk
This is correct because emergency doctrine implies consent for medical treatment when an
unconscious or incapacitated patient is facing imminent threat to life or limb and cannot
provide actual consent.
12. A clinic manager notices that employees are sharing a single master login to access the
electronic health record system. Which HIPAA security standard does this practice
violate?
A. Physical safeguards for workstation security
B. Access control and unique user identification
C. Transmission security and encryption
D. Business associate agreement compliance
This is correct because the HIPAA Security Rule mandates unique user identification and
tracking to ensure accountability and restrict data access exclusively to authorized personnel.
13. A physician assistant fails to consult standard treatment guidelines when prescribing a
high-risk medication, leading to an adverse drug reaction. This action most accurately
reflects which legal concept?
A. Battery
B. Professional negligence or malpractice
C. Intentional infliction of emotional distress
D. Breach of express warranty
This is correct because professional malpractice involves a breach of the standard of care that
a reasonably prudent healthcare professional would have exercised under similar
circumstances, resulting in injury.
14. A public health department mandates quarantine for individuals exposed to a highly
contagious and lethal airborne pathogen. Which constitutional power permits state
governments to enact such restrictive measures for the public good?
A. Interstate commerce power
B. Police power
C. Eminent domain authority
D. Tax and spend clause
