Free Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) Exam Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) Exam practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1A hospital record identifies the patient and diagnosis but omits the course and results of treatment. Which aspect of documentation integrity is deficient?

   1. A. Authentication of the treatment entries
   2. B. Completeness of the medical record
   3. C. Legibility of the treatment entries
   4. D. Chronology of the recorded entries

   Answer: B

   Explanation: "A medical record is considered complete if it contains sufficient information to identify the patient; support the diagnosis/condition; justify the care, treatment, and services; document the course and results of care, treatment, and services; and promote continuity of care among providers." The omitted course and results are part of the completeness criteria. The stem gives no missing signature, unreadable text, or timing error.

   Reference: CMS State Operations Manual Appendix A, Medical Record Services — Appendix A, §482.24(c)(1), Interpretive Guidelines, A-0450

2. 2A covered entity receives an individual's HIPAA request for access to PHI. What is the ordinary latest time to act on the request?

   1. A. 10 business days after receipt
   2. B. 30 calendar days after receipt
   3. C. 60 calendar days after receipt without an extension
   4. D. 45 calendar days after receipt

   Answer: B

   Explanation: "a covered entity must act on an individual’s request for access no later than 30 calendar days after receipt of the request." The normal period is 30 calendar days, with a conditional extension addressed separately.

   Reference: HHS FAQ: Timeliness of Individual Access Requests — FAQ answer, request deadline paragraph

3. 3During EHR go-live, clinicians need help with system use at the point of care. Which support role described by AHRQ is designed for that need?

   1. A. A trained super-user
   2. B. An EHR contract negotiator
   3. C. A remote help-desk ticket analyst
   4. D. A clinician champion focused on adoption

   Answer: A

   Explanation: "super-users" (clinicians trained and deployed prior to and after go-live to support other clinicians in learning about and using the system)" Super-users provide near-user support around go-live.

   Reference: AHRQ Electronic Health Records — Adoption; Workflow/Process Redesign

4. 4A provider asks why an acute inpatient Medicare payment is not recalculated from every service's actual intensity. Which feature of a prospective payment system explains this?

   1. A. A predetermined payment formula for the case
   2. B. A retrospective sum of all billed charges
   3. C. A payment determined solely by visit duration
   4. D. A negotiated payment for each supply used

   Answer: A

   Explanation: "A Prospective Payment System (PPS) refers to several payment formulas when reimbursement depends on predetermined payment regardless of the intensity of services provided." PPS uses predetermined payment rather than a retrospective service-by-service total.

   Reference: CMS Medicare Payment Systems — Medicare Payment Systems, overview

5. 5A HIM leader is introducing a new EHR workflow. Which change-management aim gives staff a clear destination for the initiative?

   1. A. A communicated vision of the future state
   2. B. A description of the current-state workflow
   3. C. An inventory of present implementation barriers
   4. D. A calendar of staff training sessions

   Answer: A

   Explanation: "Create a Future State (vision). Communicate the Future State, priorities, and goals of the EHR implementation." A future-state vision explains what the change is intended to achieve.

   Reference: ONC Change Management in EHR Implementation — Section 2.1.1, Phase 1 action steps

6. 6During an integrity review, a hospital record entry is readable, complete, dated, and timed, but its author has not authenticated it. Which requirement remains unmet?

   1. A. The entry must identify its author and be authenticated by the responsible person.
   2. B. The entry must be timed again by the medical records department.
   3. C. The entry must be rewritten in a more legible format.
   4. D. The entry must be replaced with a summary of the full record.

   Answer: A

   Explanation: "All entries in the medical record must be dated, timed, and authenticated, in written or electronic form, by the person responsible for providing or evaluating the service provided." Authentication by the responsible person is the missing element. The other options address timing, legibility, or completeness that the stem does not show to be deficient.

   Reference: CMS State Operations Manual Appendix A, Medical Record Services — Appendix A, §482.24(c)(1), Interpretive Guidelines, A-0450

7. 7A covered entity cannot complete a patient's access request within the initial HIPAA period. What must it provide to obtain the allowed additional period?

   1. A. A written reason and completion date after the initial period
   2. B. A written reason and completion date within the initial period
   3. C. A completion date without a reason within the initial period
   4. D. An oral reason and date within the initial period

   Answer: B

   Explanation: "the entity may have up to an additional 30 calendar days, as long as it provides the individual – within that initial 30-day period – with a written statement of the reasons for the delay and the date by which the entity will complete its action on the request." The extension depends on timely written notice with reasons and a completion date.

   Reference: HHS FAQ: Timeliness of Individual Access Requests — FAQ answer, extension notice paragraph

8. 8An EHR manager plans to offer user training only before installation. Across which stages does AHRQ say education and training should occur?

   1. A. Planning and implementation only
   2. B. Planning, implementation, and after implementation
   3. C. Implementation and after implementation only
   4. D. Planning and after implementation only

   Answer: B

   Explanation: "Education and training should be conducted during the planning, implementation, and post-implementation stages of an EHR project." Support for users spans the adoption lifecycle.

   Reference: AHRQ Electronic Health Records — Adoption; Workflow/Process Redesign

9. 9Which set contains all the case factors CMS lists for Medicare severity DRG assignment?

   1. A. Principal and secondary diagnoses, procedures, age, sex, and discharge status
   2. B. Principal and secondary diagnoses, procedures, age, sex, and length of stay
   3. C. Principal and secondary diagnoses, procedures, age, sex, and payer contract
   4. D. Principal and secondary diagnoses, procedures, age, charge, and discharge status

   Answer: A

   Explanation: "The patient’s principal diagnosis, secondary diagnoses, procedures performed, sex, age, and discharge status determine MS-DRG assignment." These clinical and demographic facts inform grouping; charges and premiums are not the listed grouping inputs.

   Reference: CMS Medicare Payment Systems — Acute Care Hospital IPPS, Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Groups

10. 10Who is a suitable champion for an EHR change effort?

    1. A. A staff member supportive of change who can keep implementation moving
    2. B. A staff member with no role in the affected workflow
    3. C. Only an external vendor who will leave after installation
    4. D. Only a budget reviewer who never speaks to users

    Answer: A

    Explanation: "The champion(s) should be staff who is/are supportive of the change and can keep the implementation process moving forward." The champion advances and communicates the change.

    Reference: ONC Change Management in EHR Implementation — Section 2.1.1, Identify a champion