Alabama Certified Health Information
Technician Exam Prep 2026/2027 – Fully
Solved Practice Questions with Bolded
Answers & In-Depth Rationales | Accurate &
Trusted
1.
A health information department discovers that two patients
with similar names have been assigned the same medical
record number. Which action should the RHIT take first?
A. Delete the older medical record
B. Create a new medical record number for both patients
C. Place the records on hold and initiate the organization's
established MPI duplicate-record resolution process
D. Merge the records immediately
The correct answer is C. A duplicate medical record number can
compromise patient identification and result in incorrect
documentation being associated with the wrong patient. The
RHIT should follow the organization's established MPI integrity
procedure, investigate the identities involved, and prevent
further erroneous transactions while the discrepancy is
resolved. Immediate merging or deletion could permanently
compromise record integrity.
,2.
A physician documents a diagnosis in the progress note that is
inconsistent with the clinical findings elsewhere in the record.
What is the most appropriate HIM action?
A. Change the diagnosis to match the clinical findings
B. Remove the inconsistent documentation
C. Code the diagnosis because it appears in the physician's note
D. Initiate an appropriate provider query when clarification is
necessary for accurate reporting
The correct answer is D. HIM professionals should not
independently alter provider documentation or select a
diagnosis merely because it appears inconsistent. When
documentation is ambiguous, conflicting, incomplete, or
clinically unclear, an appropriate, nonleading query may be
used to obtain clarification while preserving the integrity of the
original record.
3.
Which characteristic is most important when designing a
master patient index?
A. Maximum number of demographic fields
B. Use of abbreviated patient names
C. Reliable patient-identification data and duplicate-detection
,controls
D. Automatic deletion of inactive records
The correct answer is C. The MPI depends on accurate
identifiers and effective duplicate-detection procedures.
Reliable demographic information, consistent search criteria,
and established duplicate-resolution processes help prevent
overlays and erroneous record association. Simply increasing
the number of fields does not guarantee MPI integrity.
4.
A hospital is revising its authorization form for disclosure of
protected health information. Which element is generally
necessary for a valid HIPAA authorization?
A. The patient's diagnosis
B. The recipient's Social Security number
C. A description of the information to be disclosed and the
purpose of the disclosure
D. The provider's personal telephone number
The correct answer is C. HIPAA authorization requirements
include core elements such as a meaningful description of the
information to be disclosed and the purpose of the requested
disclosure. The authorization must also contain other required
elements, including information about the individual, recipient,
expiration, signature, and revocation rights.
, 5.
A patient asks to inspect and obtain a copy of the patient's
protected health information maintained by a covered entity.
Which HIPAA concept most directly applies?
A. Minimum necessary standard
B. Accounting of disclosures
C. Individual right of access
D. Business associate agreement
The correct answer is C. HIPAA provides individuals with a right
of access to certain protected health information maintained in
designated record sets. The minimum necessary standard
primarily governs certain uses and disclosures by covered
entities and does not replace the individual's access rights.
6.
A health information department wants to reduce duplicate
medical records. Which performance measure would best
evaluate whether its intervention is working?
A. Average patient age
B. Number of employees in registration
C. Duplicate-record rate before and after implementation
D. Number of diagnoses per encounter
The correct answer is C. A duplicate-record rate directly
measures the problem being addressed. Comparing the rate
Technician Exam Prep 2026/2027 – Fully
Solved Practice Questions with Bolded
Answers & In-Depth Rationales | Accurate &
Trusted
1.
A health information department discovers that two patients
with similar names have been assigned the same medical
record number. Which action should the RHIT take first?
A. Delete the older medical record
B. Create a new medical record number for both patients
C. Place the records on hold and initiate the organization's
established MPI duplicate-record resolution process
D. Merge the records immediately
The correct answer is C. A duplicate medical record number can
compromise patient identification and result in incorrect
documentation being associated with the wrong patient. The
RHIT should follow the organization's established MPI integrity
procedure, investigate the identities involved, and prevent
further erroneous transactions while the discrepancy is
resolved. Immediate merging or deletion could permanently
compromise record integrity.
,2.
A physician documents a diagnosis in the progress note that is
inconsistent with the clinical findings elsewhere in the record.
What is the most appropriate HIM action?
A. Change the diagnosis to match the clinical findings
B. Remove the inconsistent documentation
C. Code the diagnosis because it appears in the physician's note
D. Initiate an appropriate provider query when clarification is
necessary for accurate reporting
The correct answer is D. HIM professionals should not
independently alter provider documentation or select a
diagnosis merely because it appears inconsistent. When
documentation is ambiguous, conflicting, incomplete, or
clinically unclear, an appropriate, nonleading query may be
used to obtain clarification while preserving the integrity of the
original record.
3.
Which characteristic is most important when designing a
master patient index?
A. Maximum number of demographic fields
B. Use of abbreviated patient names
C. Reliable patient-identification data and duplicate-detection
,controls
D. Automatic deletion of inactive records
The correct answer is C. The MPI depends on accurate
identifiers and effective duplicate-detection procedures.
Reliable demographic information, consistent search criteria,
and established duplicate-resolution processes help prevent
overlays and erroneous record association. Simply increasing
the number of fields does not guarantee MPI integrity.
4.
A hospital is revising its authorization form for disclosure of
protected health information. Which element is generally
necessary for a valid HIPAA authorization?
A. The patient's diagnosis
B. The recipient's Social Security number
C. A description of the information to be disclosed and the
purpose of the disclosure
D. The provider's personal telephone number
The correct answer is C. HIPAA authorization requirements
include core elements such as a meaningful description of the
information to be disclosed and the purpose of the requested
disclosure. The authorization must also contain other required
elements, including information about the individual, recipient,
expiration, signature, and revocation rights.
, 5.
A patient asks to inspect and obtain a copy of the patient's
protected health information maintained by a covered entity.
Which HIPAA concept most directly applies?
A. Minimum necessary standard
B. Accounting of disclosures
C. Individual right of access
D. Business associate agreement
The correct answer is C. HIPAA provides individuals with a right
of access to certain protected health information maintained in
designated record sets. The minimum necessary standard
primarily governs certain uses and disclosures by covered
entities and does not replace the individual's access rights.
6.
A health information department wants to reduce duplicate
medical records. Which performance measure would best
evaluate whether its intervention is working?
A. Average patient age
B. Number of employees in registration
C. Duplicate-record rate before and after implementation
D. Number of diagnoses per encounter
The correct answer is C. A duplicate-record rate directly
measures the problem being addressed. Comparing the rate
