Chapter 1: A Career in Medical Coding

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

____	1.	Which of the following best describes a third-party carrier?
a.	An organization that provides health-care services	
b.	An organization that pays or insures health coverage for medical expenses	
c.	An individual whose name appears on the insurance card	
d.	An organization that denies health-care coverage based on medical necessity	

____	2.	Patient demographics would include which of the following elements?
a.	Patient health history	
b.	The name of the physician who last saw the patient	
c.	Whether the patient was new or established to the office	
d.	Personal and financial information	

____	3.	Which of the following best describes the guarantor?
a.	The individual responsible for payment of the medical bill	
b.	The patient’s next of kin	
c.	The patient’s employer	
d.	A contact person in case of emergency	

____	4.	Which of the following does not describe a covered dependent?
a.	A child older than 19 years of age but unable to self-support due to a mental or physical handicap that began before age 19	
b.	A child who is unmarried, between the ages of 19 and 23 years old, and a full-time student in an accredited secondary school or college	
c.	An unmarried child younger than 19 years of age	
d.	A married child younger than 18 years of age	

____	5.	The insurance card is likely to contain which of the following?
a.	The patient’s address	c.	The patient’s primary care physician	
b.	The insurance identification number	d.	The patient’s hospital of choice	

____	6.	Which of the following describes an agreement signed by the patient directing his or her insurance company to pay the health-care provider directly for any covered service?
a.	Release of information	c.	Assignment of benefits	
b.	Advanced beneficiary notice	d.	Authorization to treat	

____	7.	Which of the following would most likely not be found in the patient’s medical record?
a.	A history of the patient’s illnesses and injuries	
b.	A list of the patient’s prescription medications	
c.	Verification of employment	
d.	A printed copy of an e-mail written by the physician to the patient	

____	8.	Which of the following describes the transmission of health-care data and claims information by electronic means?
a.	Computerized patient record	c.	Automated charge entry	
b.	Electronic data interchange	d.	Claim form generation	

____	9.	An organization that takes responsibility for providing claim processing services, including administrative duties, for Medicare and Medicaid is termed a(n):
a.	Employment service.	c.	Fiscal agent.	
b.	Corporate partner.	d.	Patient advocate.	

____	10.	A financial document summarizing the patient’s financial status, including charges, balances, and payments is termed a(n):
a.	Encounter form.	c.	Appointment and revenue scheduler.	
b.	Claim editor.	d.	Patient ledger.	

____	11.	The International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) is used to assign codes for:
a.	Medical diagnoses.	c.	Medical supplies.	
b.	Medical services and procedures.	d.	Pharmaceuticals.	

____	12.	The Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) manual is used to assign codes for:
a.	Medical diagnoses.	c.	Medical supplies.	
b.	Medical services and procedures.	d.	Pharmaceuticals.	

____	13.	Which of the following describes an advantage of electronic claim submission?
a.	Fewer claim errors	c.	Better communication with the patient	
b.	No human intervention required	d.	Expedited reimbursement	

____	14.	Which of the following elements of a medical record is least important?
a.	The medical record should be legible.	
b.	The medical record should be complete.	
c.	The medical record should be color coded.	
d.	The medical record should be timely and up to date.	

____	15.	A printed form used by banks and businesses to keep track of money and includes account information is termed a:
a.	Bank wire transfer.	c.	Financial services form.	
b.	Check cashing form.	d.	Deposit slip.	

True/False
Indicate whether the statement is true or false.

____	16.	A medical office coder may have the title of insurance coding specialist or medical biller.

____	17.	The medical office coder should have an understanding of medical terminology in order to accurately assign medical codes.

____	18.	When a patient is referred to a physician by a friend or family member, this information should be included on the insurance claim form.

____	19.	The electronic health record is also referred to as the electronic medical record.

____	20.	The diagnosis on the patient’s encounter form should match the diagnosis stated in the physician’s progress note.

____	21.	Continuing education is often a requirement of maintaining coder certification.

____	22.	Nonverbal communication is more important than verbal communication when the medical coder is communicating with physicians, patients, medical staff, or others.

____	23.	Recent studies have found that the majority of patients feel that medical office staff display good manners and are courteous.

____	24.	It is appropriate to use common symbols and jargon in e-mail communications because the majority of individuals are familiar with such expressions.

____	25.	Medical office statistics, such as data on number of immunizations provided, can be used to make decisions about patient care, financial practices, and the internal revenue cycle.

Chapter 1: A Career in Medical Coding
Answer Section

MULTIPLE CHOICE

	1.	ANS:	B	PTS:	1

	2.	ANS:	D	PTS:	1

	3.	ANS:	A	PTS:	1

	4.	ANS:	D	PTS:	1

	5.	ANS:	B	PTS:	1

	6.	ANS:	C	PTS:	1

	7.	ANS:	C	PTS:	1

	8.	ANS:	B	PTS:	1

	9.	ANS:	C	PTS:	1

	10.	ANS:	D	PTS:	1

	11.	ANS:	A	PTS:	1

	12.	ANS:	B	PTS:	1

	13.	ANS:	D	PTS:	1

	14.	ANS:	C	PTS:	1

	15.	ANS:	D	PTS:	1

TRUE/FALSE

	16.	ANS:	T	PTS:	1

	17.	ANS:	T	PTS:	1

	18.	ANS:	F	PTS:	1

	19.	ANS:	T	PTS:	1

	20.	ANS:	T	PTS:	1

	21.	ANS:	T	PTS:	1

	22.	ANS:	F	PTS:	1

	23.	ANS:	F	PTS:	1

	24.	ANS:	F	PTS:	1

	25.	ANS:	T	PTS:	1