Prep Practice Questions
Comprehensive Answers and Expert
Rationale 2026/ 2027 HFMA CRCR
EXAM
,1. It is important to have high registration quality
standards because:
Choices
A. Inaccurate or incomplete patient data will delay payment or
cause denials
B. Incomplete registrations will trigger exclusion from
Medicare participation
C. Inaccurate registration may cause discharge before full
treatment is obtained
D. Incomplete registrations will raise satisfaction scores for
the hospital
Correct Answer: A. Inaccurate or incomplete patient data
will delay payment or cause denials
Expert Rationale:
Accurate registration establishes the demographic, insurance,
and billing information needed to process claims correctly.
Inaccurate or incomplete information can result in claim
denials, payment delays, eligibility problems, and additional
rework for the provider.
2. When Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC) identify
improper payments as overpayments, the claims
processing contractor must:
,Choices
A. Assume legal responsibility for repaying the overage
amount
B. Make recovery of the overpayment the top processing
priority
C. Send a demand letter to the provider to recover the
overpayment amount
D. Conduct an audit of all the affected provider's claims within
the past 12 months
Correct Answer: C. Send a demand letter to the provider to
recover the overpayment amount
Expert Rationale:
When an overpayment is identified, the appropriate recovery
process includes notifying the provider and requesting
repayment. A demand letter formally communicates the
overpayment and establishes the provider's obligation to
resolve the identified amount.
3. Internal controls addressing coding and reimbursement
changes are put in place to guard against:
Choices
A. Underpayments
B. Denials
C. Compliance fraud by upcoding
D. Charge master error
Correct Answer: C. Compliance fraud by upcoding
, Expert Rationale:
Internal controls are designed to ensure that coding and
reimbursement practices accurately reflect the services
provided. Upcoding occurs when a service is incorrectly coded
at a higher level to obtain greater reimbursement, creating
significant compliance and fraud risk.
4. The patient discharge process begins when:
Choices
A. The physician writes the discharge orders
B. Clinical services are completed and patient accounts have
all the information necessary to bill
C. The physician writes the discharge orders and the third-
party payer signs off on the necessity of the services provided
D. Clinical services are completed, patient accounts can
generate an accurate bill, and there is agreement on the
handling of patient financial responsibilities
Correct Answer: A. The physician writes the discharge
orders
Expert Rationale:
The discharge process is initiated by the authorized discharge
order. Once the physician determines that the patient is ready
for discharge and issues the order, the healthcare organization
can proceed with the necessary clinical, administrative, and
financial discharge activities.