CMAA EXAM ACTUAL EXAM AND PRACTICE QUESTIONS
300 QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS
(VERIFIED ANSWERS) |ALREADY GRADED A
Which of the following items should a medical administrative assistant forward to a
provider who is away from the office? - ANSWER: Urgent mail
A medical administrative assistant is preparing to mail a medical device to a patient.
Which of the following types of extra services should the assistant use to ensure the
package has protection against loss or damage of up to $5,000? - ANSWER: Insured
Mail
Insured mail is an extra service providing protection against loss or damage of up to
$5,000.
Which of the following tasks should a medical administrative assistant perform? -
ANSWER: Complete an inventory list of office supplies.
The assistant should complete an inventory of office supplies.
A medical administrative assistant is creating an appointment for a patient. Which of
the following actions should the assistant take first? - ANSWER: Confirm the patient
or caller's identity.
Confirming the patient or caller identity is the first step taken by the assistant and is
important in avoiding duplicate records and verifying identifiers, such as name and
date of birth.
A medical administrative assistant discovers two charts that they suspect are for the
same patient. Which of the following are two identifiers the assistant should check
to ensure the two charts are for the same patient? - ANSWER: Patient's last name
and date of birth
The assistant should check the patient's last name and date of birth to ensure the
two charts are for the same patient.
Which of the following is the process of determining how long specific account
balances have been outstanding? - ANSWER: Account aging
The process of determining how long specific account balances have been
outstanding is called account aging.
A medical administrative assistant is interacting with a patient who is uncooperative
and is displaying emotional distress due to an extended wait time to see the
provider. Which of the following actions should the assistant take? - ANSWER:
Express empathy to the patient.
,The assistant should express empathy to the patient.
Which of the following types of consent should a medical administrative assistant
rely upon when a patient cannot speak for themselves due to a medical emergency?
- ANSWER: Implied
Implied consent involves the patient consenting by nonverbal action or conduct,
such as when the patient cannot speak for themselves due to a medical emergency.
Which of the following involves groups of health care providers working in
collaboration to provide high-quality patient care to Medicare recipients? - ANSWER:
Accountable Care Organization (ACO)
An ACO involves groups of health care providers working together to coordinate
high-quality patient care for Medicare recipients.
A third-party payer is requesting documentation to support billed services. Which of
the following is the appropriate document the medical administrative assistant
should forward to the third-party payer? - ANSWER: Progress Notes
Progress notes are part of the medical chart and include documentation pertaining
to diagnostic findings. These documents are authorized to be forwarded to third-
party payers to support billed services.
A medical administrative assistant is verifying a patient's insurance coverage. After
making a photocopy of the patient's insurance card, which of the following actions
should the assistant take next? - ANSWER: Add the date to the photocopy of the
card.
The next step the assistant should take is timestamping the date the copy was made
or writing in the date on the copy.
Which of the following is the part of the endocrine system that produces melatonin
and regulates sleep patterns? - ANSWER: Pineal gland
The pineal gland is located in the brain and produces melatonin, which regulates
sleep.
Which of the following establishes the units used to determine Medicare fee
schedules based on overhead expenses, amount of work involved, and cost of
malpractice insurance? - ANSWER: Resource-based relative value scale (RBRVS)
A RBRVS establishes the units used in determining Medicare fee schedules based on
overhead expenses, amount of work involved, and cost of malpractice
insurance
,Which of the following actions should a medical administrative assistant take when
processing critical mail for a provider who is out on vacation? - ANSWER: Consult
with an on-call provider about the mail.
The provider might prefer that the assistant consult with an on-call provider about
critical mail rather than directly contacting the provider, who is on vacation.
A medical administrative assistant should identify that which of the following
ensures security of patient medical records? - ANSWER: Providing each staff member
with their own individual login and password to access the records
The assistant should identify that providing each staff member with their own
individual login and password ensures security of patient medical records.
A medical administrative assistant is checking in several patients who showed up at
the same time and are frustrated due to the extended wait period. Which of the
following actions should the assistant take first to manage the frustrated patients? -
ANSWER: Greet each patient with a smile.
This is the first step the assistant should take.
A medical administrative assistant should recognize that which of the following
abbreviations is correct according to The Joint Commission's "Do
Not Use" list? - ANSWER: PO
PO is an abbreviation that is used to represent "by mouth" in prescriptions. It is not
on The Joint Commission's "Do Not Use" list and can be included in documentation.
Which of the following medical terms defines painful movement of the body or a
body part? - ANSWER: Dyskinesia
Dys- (painful or difficult) and -kinesia (movement) combine to make the word
dyskinesia, defined as painful movement of the body or a body part.
Which of the following might a practice manager use to promote engagement for a
team of medical administrative assistants? - ANSWER: Staff training
Staff training can promote team engagement.
Which of the following actions should a medical administrative assistant take to
reduce the number of no-show appointments? - ANSWER: Call patients 1 to 2 days
before their scheduled appointment.
By calling 1 to 2 days in advance, patients are more likely to remember the
appointment and it still allows for time to fill the schedule if the patient is unable to
keep the appointment.
, Which of the following tasks is within a medical administrative assistant's scope of
practice? - ANSWER: Managing accounts receivable
The assistant can perform managing accounts receivable based on their scope of
practice.
A medical administrative assistant is performing patient check-out at the end of a
new patient appointment. Which of the following forms should the assistant provide
a patient to obtain previous health history documents? - ANSWER: Medical records
release
A medical records release form is provided to the patient at check-out and is signed
by the patient to authorize disclosure of previous health history documents.
Which of the following information is necessary to confirm a patient's
demographics? - ANSWER: Occupation
To confirm demographics, a medical administrative assistant can refer to the
patient's date of birth, name, Social Security number, address, place of employment,
and occupation.
A medical administrative assistant should verify a patient's CPT code for which of the
following processes? - ANSWER: Obtaining Preauthorization
Procedural PT codes are required, along with patient information, to obtain
preauthorization from an insurance carrier for a procedure.
Which of the following represents a negative number on a patient's account and
indicates an overpayment has been made? - ANSWER: Credit balance
A credit balance occurs when the patient or insurance carrier makes a payment
larger than the account balance or the insurance claim total.
Which of the following methods enables scheduling of multiple patients during the
first 30 minutes of each hour while still allowing flexibility throughout the hour for
the provider to see all scheduled patients? - ANSWER: Wave
Wave scheduling allows for flexibility of arrival times and allows enough time within
each hour to see all scheduled patients.
A patient reports a breach of confidentiality to a medical administrative assistant.
The assistant should direct the patient to which of the following resources first? -
ANSWER: Office Manager
The first person to receive report of a HIPAA violation is the office manager, who is
often also a practice's privacy officer.
300 QUESTIONS AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS
(VERIFIED ANSWERS) |ALREADY GRADED A
Which of the following items should a medical administrative assistant forward to a
provider who is away from the office? - ANSWER: Urgent mail
A medical administrative assistant is preparing to mail a medical device to a patient.
Which of the following types of extra services should the assistant use to ensure the
package has protection against loss or damage of up to $5,000? - ANSWER: Insured
Insured mail is an extra service providing protection against loss or damage of up to
$5,000.
Which of the following tasks should a medical administrative assistant perform? -
ANSWER: Complete an inventory list of office supplies.
The assistant should complete an inventory of office supplies.
A medical administrative assistant is creating an appointment for a patient. Which of
the following actions should the assistant take first? - ANSWER: Confirm the patient
or caller's identity.
Confirming the patient or caller identity is the first step taken by the assistant and is
important in avoiding duplicate records and verifying identifiers, such as name and
date of birth.
A medical administrative assistant discovers two charts that they suspect are for the
same patient. Which of the following are two identifiers the assistant should check
to ensure the two charts are for the same patient? - ANSWER: Patient's last name
and date of birth
The assistant should check the patient's last name and date of birth to ensure the
two charts are for the same patient.
Which of the following is the process of determining how long specific account
balances have been outstanding? - ANSWER: Account aging
The process of determining how long specific account balances have been
outstanding is called account aging.
A medical administrative assistant is interacting with a patient who is uncooperative
and is displaying emotional distress due to an extended wait time to see the
provider. Which of the following actions should the assistant take? - ANSWER:
Express empathy to the patient.
,The assistant should express empathy to the patient.
Which of the following types of consent should a medical administrative assistant
rely upon when a patient cannot speak for themselves due to a medical emergency?
- ANSWER: Implied
Implied consent involves the patient consenting by nonverbal action or conduct,
such as when the patient cannot speak for themselves due to a medical emergency.
Which of the following involves groups of health care providers working in
collaboration to provide high-quality patient care to Medicare recipients? - ANSWER:
Accountable Care Organization (ACO)
An ACO involves groups of health care providers working together to coordinate
high-quality patient care for Medicare recipients.
A third-party payer is requesting documentation to support billed services. Which of
the following is the appropriate document the medical administrative assistant
should forward to the third-party payer? - ANSWER: Progress Notes
Progress notes are part of the medical chart and include documentation pertaining
to diagnostic findings. These documents are authorized to be forwarded to third-
party payers to support billed services.
A medical administrative assistant is verifying a patient's insurance coverage. After
making a photocopy of the patient's insurance card, which of the following actions
should the assistant take next? - ANSWER: Add the date to the photocopy of the
card.
The next step the assistant should take is timestamping the date the copy was made
or writing in the date on the copy.
Which of the following is the part of the endocrine system that produces melatonin
and regulates sleep patterns? - ANSWER: Pineal gland
The pineal gland is located in the brain and produces melatonin, which regulates
sleep.
Which of the following establishes the units used to determine Medicare fee
schedules based on overhead expenses, amount of work involved, and cost of
malpractice insurance? - ANSWER: Resource-based relative value scale (RBRVS)
A RBRVS establishes the units used in determining Medicare fee schedules based on
overhead expenses, amount of work involved, and cost of malpractice
insurance
,Which of the following actions should a medical administrative assistant take when
processing critical mail for a provider who is out on vacation? - ANSWER: Consult
with an on-call provider about the mail.
The provider might prefer that the assistant consult with an on-call provider about
critical mail rather than directly contacting the provider, who is on vacation.
A medical administrative assistant should identify that which of the following
ensures security of patient medical records? - ANSWER: Providing each staff member
with their own individual login and password to access the records
The assistant should identify that providing each staff member with their own
individual login and password ensures security of patient medical records.
A medical administrative assistant is checking in several patients who showed up at
the same time and are frustrated due to the extended wait period. Which of the
following actions should the assistant take first to manage the frustrated patients? -
ANSWER: Greet each patient with a smile.
This is the first step the assistant should take.
A medical administrative assistant should recognize that which of the following
abbreviations is correct according to The Joint Commission's "Do
Not Use" list? - ANSWER: PO
PO is an abbreviation that is used to represent "by mouth" in prescriptions. It is not
on The Joint Commission's "Do Not Use" list and can be included in documentation.
Which of the following medical terms defines painful movement of the body or a
body part? - ANSWER: Dyskinesia
Dys- (painful or difficult) and -kinesia (movement) combine to make the word
dyskinesia, defined as painful movement of the body or a body part.
Which of the following might a practice manager use to promote engagement for a
team of medical administrative assistants? - ANSWER: Staff training
Staff training can promote team engagement.
Which of the following actions should a medical administrative assistant take to
reduce the number of no-show appointments? - ANSWER: Call patients 1 to 2 days
before their scheduled appointment.
By calling 1 to 2 days in advance, patients are more likely to remember the
appointment and it still allows for time to fill the schedule if the patient is unable to
keep the appointment.
, Which of the following tasks is within a medical administrative assistant's scope of
practice? - ANSWER: Managing accounts receivable
The assistant can perform managing accounts receivable based on their scope of
practice.
A medical administrative assistant is performing patient check-out at the end of a
new patient appointment. Which of the following forms should the assistant provide
a patient to obtain previous health history documents? - ANSWER: Medical records
release
A medical records release form is provided to the patient at check-out and is signed
by the patient to authorize disclosure of previous health history documents.
Which of the following information is necessary to confirm a patient's
demographics? - ANSWER: Occupation
To confirm demographics, a medical administrative assistant can refer to the
patient's date of birth, name, Social Security number, address, place of employment,
and occupation.
A medical administrative assistant should verify a patient's CPT code for which of the
following processes? - ANSWER: Obtaining Preauthorization
Procedural PT codes are required, along with patient information, to obtain
preauthorization from an insurance carrier for a procedure.
Which of the following represents a negative number on a patient's account and
indicates an overpayment has been made? - ANSWER: Credit balance
A credit balance occurs when the patient or insurance carrier makes a payment
larger than the account balance or the insurance claim total.
Which of the following methods enables scheduling of multiple patients during the
first 30 minutes of each hour while still allowing flexibility throughout the hour for
the provider to see all scheduled patients? - ANSWER: Wave
Wave scheduling allows for flexibility of arrival times and allows enough time within
each hour to see all scheduled patients.
A patient reports a breach of confidentiality to a medical administrative assistant.
The assistant should direct the patient to which of the following resources first? -
ANSWER: Office Manager
The first person to receive report of a HIPAA violation is the office manager, who is
often also a practice's privacy officer.
