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Free RHIA Practice Questions

10 free, exam-style Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free RHIA practice test to study every exam domain.

Question 1

A state law requires retention of adult medical records for 10 years following the last encounter. Federal Medicare requirements mandate 5 years. Which standard applies?

  1. The 5-year federal requirement because federal law always supersedes
  2. The 10-year state requirement because it is more stringent
  3. Whichever requirement the hospital prefers
  4. The average of the two, which is 7.5 years
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - The 10-year state requirement because it is more stringent

Question 2

The legal health record (LHR) and the designated record set (DRS) differ in that:

  1. The LHR includes only paper records; the DRS includes electronic records
  2. The LHR contains patient demographics; the DRS contains clinical data only
  3. The LHR is for legal proceedings; the DRS is for patient access
  4. The LHR is maintained by physicians; the DRS is maintained by administrators
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - The LHR is for legal proceedings; the DRS is for patient access

Question 3

A hospital laptop containing unencrypted patient data is stolen from an employee's car. Under HIPAA, this event is:

  1. Not a breach because the laptop was stolen from a personal vehicle rather than hospital premises
  2. Automatically not a breach since the theft was opportunistic and the perpetrator likely had no interest in accessing patient information
  3. Only considered a breach if there is documented evidence that the protected health information was actually accessed or viewed
  4. Presumed to be a breach of unsecured PHI unless the four-factor risk assessment demonstrates low probability of compromise
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Presumed to be a breach of unsecured PHI unless the four-factor risk assessment demonstrates low probability of compromise

Question 4

A patient submits a written request to restrict disclosures to their health plan for a procedure they paid for entirely out of pocket. Under HIPAA, the covered entity:

  1. Must agree to the restriction
  2. May deny this restriction request
  3. Must obtain a court order first
  4. Can agree only with insurance approval
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Must agree to the restriction

Question 5

A hospital had 10,000 discharges, 200 total deaths, and 40 of those deaths occurred within 48 hours of admission. The net death rate is:

  1. 2.0%
  2. 2.4%
  3. 1.6%
  4. 1.8%
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - 1.6%

Question 6

A screening test has high sensitivity but low specificity. This means the test:

  1. Frequently gives false positives and misses many true cases
  2. Has equal rates of false positives and false negatives
  3. Performs poorly in both detecting disease and ruling out disease
  4. Rarely misses true cases (few false negatives) but has many false positives
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Rarely misses true cases (few false negatives) but has many false positives

Question 7

For INPATIENT coding, when the physician documents 'probable pneumonia' at discharge, the coder should:

  1. Code pneumonia as if the diagnosis were confirmed
  2. Code only the signs and symptoms
  3. Query the physician to confirm the diagnosis
  4. Not code the condition at all
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Code pneumonia as if the diagnosis were confirmed

Question 8

A key difference between the Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute is:

  1. Stark Law applies to all healthcare providers; Anti-Kickback Statute only covers physician referrals
  2. Anti-Kickback Statute requires intent; Stark Law is strict liability for physician self-referral
  3. Stark Law is strict liability for physician self-referral; Anti-Kickback Statute requires intent for all referrals
  4. Stark Law covers only Medicare patients; Anti-Kickback Statute applies to all federal healthcare programs
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Stark Law is strict liability for physician self-referral; Anti-Kickback Statute requires intent for all referrals

Question 9

An HIM director wants to implement a new remote coding program. Several senior coders oppose the change because they prefer working on-site. Using the ADKAR model, the director should FIRST address:

  1. Ability - conducting skills assessments for remote coding competency
  2. Awareness - helping the coders understand why the change to remote coding is necessary
  3. Reinforcement - establishing performance metrics and feedback systems for remote work
  4. Knowledge - developing comprehensive training curricula for remote coding procedures
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Awareness - helping the coders understand why the change to remote coding is necessary

Question 10

An HIM department needs to code 4,000 records per month. Each coder can code 25 records per day, and there are 20 working days per month. The number of coding FTEs needed is:

  1. 6 FTEs
  2. 10 FTEs
  3. 4 FTEs
  4. 8 FTEs
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - 8 FTEs

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