MGMA CMPE Operations Management
MGMA CMPE OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT | VERIFIED EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - LATEST VERSION 2026/2027
MGMA CMPE
OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
1. A practice tracks the percentage of scheduled visits in which the patient
neither attends nor cancels in advance. Which metric is this?
A. Patient leakage rate
B. No-show rate
C. Cancellation rate
D. Appointment utilization rate
ANSWER : B. No-show rate
The no-show rate counts scheduled patients who fail to arrive without giving
notice, and it directly drives lost provider capacity.
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, MGMA CMPE Operations Management
2. Which access measure is generally preferred over "next available
appointment" because it is less distorted by last-minute cancellations?
A. Average length of stay
B. Appointment fill rate
C. Third next available appointment
D. Days in accounts receivable
ANSWER : C. Third next available appointment
Third next available reflects the true supply-demand balance, whereas the next
available slot is often just a random cancellation.
3. A practice that reserves a portion of each provider's day for same-day
requests and books the rest ahead is using which model?
A. Double-booking by default
B. Pure wave scheduling
C. Block scheduling by diagnosis
D. Advanced (open) access with a hybrid template
ANSWER : D. Advanced (open) access with a hybrid template
Advanced access balances same-day demand against booked demand so
patients are seen when they ask.
4. Which data element is most useful when deciding how much to overbook a
particular provider's schedule?
A. Number of exam rooms in the suite
B. The provider's compensation plan
C. Historical no-show rates by provider, day and time slot
D. Payer mix for the quarter
ANSWER : C. Historical no-show rates by provider, day and time slot
Overbooking should be calibrated to the actual pattern of missed visits, not
applied uniformly.
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, MGMA CMPE Operations Management
5. Under wave scheduling, how are patients booked?
A. Several patients arrive at the start of an interval and are seen in order of
arrival
B. Only established patients are booked in the morning
C. All patients are booked for the start of the session
D. One patient every 15 minutes with no overlap
ANSWER : A. Several patients arrive at the start of an interval and are
seen in order of arrival
Wave scheduling absorbs early and late arrivals by grouping patients at the top
of each interval.
6. A schedule template primarily defines which of the following?
A. Payer reimbursement rates
B. Appointment types, lengths and availability for each provider
C. Provider productivity targets
D. Staff break rotations only
ANSWER : B. Appointment types, lengths and availability for each
provider
Templates control how time is built into the schedule so the right visit type is
offered in the right slot.
7. Which reminder approach has the strongest support for reducing no-
shows?
A. A single postcard mailed one month ahead
B. Multiple reminders using the patient's preferred channel, such as text and
phone
C. No reminder for established patients
D. Reminder only at check-in
ANSWER : B. Multiple reminders using the patient's preferred channel,
such as text and phone
Timely, multi-touch reminders in the patient's preferred format consistently
lower missed appointments.
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, MGMA CMPE Operations Management
8. Appointment lead time is best defined as
A. The time a patient waits in the exam room
B. The duration of the visit itself
C. The time from arrival to check-in
D. The number of days between the patient's request and the appointment date
ANSWER : D. The number of days between the patient's request and the
appointment date
Lead time measures access from the patient's point of view.
9. A practice keeps a list of patients willing to come in on short notice so
cancelled slots can be refilled. This list is called a
A. Credentialing file
B. Wait list (short-notice list)
C. Recall list
D. Referral log
ANSWER : B. Wait list (short-notice list)
A managed wait list converts cancellations into completed visits and protects
revenue.
10. Which action best reduces "leakage" of patients to other organizations?
A. Shortening visit times to 5 minutes
B. Reducing evening hours
C. Improving access and coordinating referrals within a preferred network
D. Removing the patient portal
ANSWER : C. Improving access and coordinating referrals within a
preferred network
Patients leave when they cannot get timely appointments or when referrals are
poorly managed.
Page 4
MGMA CMPE OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT | VERIFIED EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - LATEST VERSION 2026/2027
MGMA CMPE
OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
1. A practice tracks the percentage of scheduled visits in which the patient
neither attends nor cancels in advance. Which metric is this?
A. Patient leakage rate
B. No-show rate
C. Cancellation rate
D. Appointment utilization rate
ANSWER : B. No-show rate
The no-show rate counts scheduled patients who fail to arrive without giving
notice, and it directly drives lost provider capacity.
Page 1
, MGMA CMPE Operations Management
2. Which access measure is generally preferred over "next available
appointment" because it is less distorted by last-minute cancellations?
A. Average length of stay
B. Appointment fill rate
C. Third next available appointment
D. Days in accounts receivable
ANSWER : C. Third next available appointment
Third next available reflects the true supply-demand balance, whereas the next
available slot is often just a random cancellation.
3. A practice that reserves a portion of each provider's day for same-day
requests and books the rest ahead is using which model?
A. Double-booking by default
B. Pure wave scheduling
C. Block scheduling by diagnosis
D. Advanced (open) access with a hybrid template
ANSWER : D. Advanced (open) access with a hybrid template
Advanced access balances same-day demand against booked demand so
patients are seen when they ask.
4. Which data element is most useful when deciding how much to overbook a
particular provider's schedule?
A. Number of exam rooms in the suite
B. The provider's compensation plan
C. Historical no-show rates by provider, day and time slot
D. Payer mix for the quarter
ANSWER : C. Historical no-show rates by provider, day and time slot
Overbooking should be calibrated to the actual pattern of missed visits, not
applied uniformly.
Page 2
, MGMA CMPE Operations Management
5. Under wave scheduling, how are patients booked?
A. Several patients arrive at the start of an interval and are seen in order of
arrival
B. Only established patients are booked in the morning
C. All patients are booked for the start of the session
D. One patient every 15 minutes with no overlap
ANSWER : A. Several patients arrive at the start of an interval and are
seen in order of arrival
Wave scheduling absorbs early and late arrivals by grouping patients at the top
of each interval.
6. A schedule template primarily defines which of the following?
A. Payer reimbursement rates
B. Appointment types, lengths and availability for each provider
C. Provider productivity targets
D. Staff break rotations only
ANSWER : B. Appointment types, lengths and availability for each
provider
Templates control how time is built into the schedule so the right visit type is
offered in the right slot.
7. Which reminder approach has the strongest support for reducing no-
shows?
A. A single postcard mailed one month ahead
B. Multiple reminders using the patient's preferred channel, such as text and
phone
C. No reminder for established patients
D. Reminder only at check-in
ANSWER : B. Multiple reminders using the patient's preferred channel,
such as text and phone
Timely, multi-touch reminders in the patient's preferred format consistently
lower missed appointments.
Page 3
, MGMA CMPE Operations Management
8. Appointment lead time is best defined as
A. The time a patient waits in the exam room
B. The duration of the visit itself
C. The time from arrival to check-in
D. The number of days between the patient's request and the appointment date
ANSWER : D. The number of days between the patient's request and the
appointment date
Lead time measures access from the patient's point of view.
9. A practice keeps a list of patients willing to come in on short notice so
cancelled slots can be refilled. This list is called a
A. Credentialing file
B. Wait list (short-notice list)
C. Recall list
D. Referral log
ANSWER : B. Wait list (short-notice list)
A managed wait list converts cancellations into completed visits and protects
revenue.
10. Which action best reduces "leakage" of patients to other organizations?
A. Shortening visit times to 5 minutes
B. Reducing evening hours
C. Improving access and coordinating referrals within a preferred network
D. Removing the patient portal
ANSWER : C. Improving access and coordinating referrals within a
preferred network
Patients leave when they cannot get timely appointments or when referrals are
poorly managed.
Page 4
