Combo with "Billing and Collections Unit" and 1 other
Ideally, when should patient payments be received?
At the time of service
Which of the following type(s) of check is guaranteed not to bounce?
Both a certified check and a money order
In which of the following ledgers would an assistant look to find the most current bank balance?
Check ledger
Which manual bookkeeping system has a built-in way to check for errors?
Double-entry system
When should a receipt be issued to a patient?
Every time the patient makes a payment in the office
Which of the following attitudes is most acceptable for an assistant to have when discussing finances with a patient?
Respectful and understanding
Which of the following is the best option for dealing with long-term delinquent accounts?
Send the account to a third-party collection agency.
Which of the following blank spaces on a check does NOT have to be filled in to be processed by the bank?
The for/memo line
In the medical office, who is responsible for helping patients understand their invoice?
The medical office assistant
Who is responsible for recording disbursements?
The medical office assistant
Who can a medical office assistant speak to about a patient's unpaid bill?
The patient and the patient's guarantor
What does it mean to extend credit to a patient?
The patient can pay for service in installments.
Which of the following methods of payment is least likely to be accepted at any medical office?
Third-party check
Why is it important to keep an up-to-date inventory of all administrative and clinical supplies in the office?
To avoid making unnecessary purchases or running out of important supplies
`What is the purpose of the HIPAA Privacy Rule?
To protect the privacy of patient information
Which of the following expenses might the petty cash fund be used for?
To purchase office Halloween decorations
Why might an office divide patient billing into several cycles per month?
To stabilize the assistant's workload
Which of the following best describes an accounts payable ledger?
A book of all office debts that have not been paid
Which of the following definitions best describes a write-off?
A cancellation of a fee
To which of the following patients might a physician extend professional courtesy?
A fellow physician
Which of the following is the least confrontational way to approach a patient about an unpaid bill?
A letter
What is a fee schedule?
A list of specified fees a physician charges for services
Which of the following best describes a superbill?
A patient invoice listing services performed in one visit
What is the name of a patient bill that records services and charges for a specific time period?
An invoice
Which of the following best defines the term "disbursement"?
An outgoing amount of money from the office
Accounts receivable are considered ____.
Assets
Which of the following is the correct equation for determining equity?
Assets - Liabilities = Equity
When should daysheets be updated?
At the end of each day
In which of the following ledgers must an outstanding patient balance be recorded?
Both the patient ledger and the accounts receivable ledger
What is the first thing an assistant should do after receiving a patient overpayment?
Call to inform the patient.
What should be written in the Pay to the Order Of section of a check to establish a petty cash fund?
Cash
If a patient plans to use a credit or debit card as payment, the physician is allowed to charge a higher fee for the patient's service.
False
If an office uses a computerized bookkeeping system, understanding manual bookkeeping is unnecessary.
False
If an office uses automatic withdrawal to pay bills, those payment amounts do NOT need to be posted on any office ledgers.
False
It is acceptable to send personal information to patients by e-mail.
False
It is okay to threaten a patient who has not paid with legal action, even if this is an action the office is not currently planning to take.
False
When a patient makes a payment to a collection agency, the entire amount of that payment will be sent to the medical office.
False
Which of the following situations would make a check invalid?
If the check is not signed If the amounts on the check differ If liquid paper is present on the check to cover a mistake All of the above
What is the first step an office assistant should take after receiving an NSF check?
Inform the check-writer that the check has been returned.
What should be done if a mistake is made while filling out a check?
Void the check and file it with cancelled checks.
When should a patient be given an estimate of how much the fee for service might be?
When the appointment is set
Patients will receive a monthly bill from the medical practice even after the account has been turned over to a third-party collection agency.
False
Paying the office's utility bill is an example of income.
False
Payments received by mail do not have to be posted to the patient ledger.
False
Who decides when and to whom professional courtesy is extended?
The physician
A patient's financial records are protected under HIPAA regulations.
A patient's financial records are protected under HIPAA regulations.
Which of the following definitions best describes the term "guarantor"?
A person responsible for paying a patient's bill
What should be stapled to every petty cash voucher before it is filed?
A receipt
Which of the following definitions best describes an aging report?
A record of all unpaid patient accounts, organized by date of service or date of first bill
Which of the following best describes a purchase order?
A standardized form to request an order from a vendor
What is an event that affects the financial position of a company and can be reliably recorded?
Accounting transaction
What is the term for money owed by a company that has not yet been paid?
Accounts in progress
In which of the following ledgers would an assistant look to find information on all the debts owed by the medical office?
Accounts payable ledger
What is the term for money owed to a company or office that has not yet been received?
Accounts receivable
Which of these is the most appropriate way to make corrections in a manual bookkeeping system?
Draw one line through the mistake and enter the correction above.
Which of the following is another term for "superbill"?
Encounter form
Why is the pegboard system also called the "write-it-once" method?
Entries are posted to several records at once.
Which of the following skills will a medical office assistant need to perform accounting tasks?
Good organizational skills Computer literacy skills Communication skills All of the above
In which of the following situations would the Truth in Lending Act apply?
If a patient sets up a payment plan with five installments
Why does the office assistant need a copy of the fee schedule when discussing patient invoices?
It lists the charges for each service
What purpose does the Truth in Lending Act serve?
It requires physicians to disclose interest charges if any are charged.
What should be done with the old NSF check after an alternate form of payment has arrived and been fully processed?
It should be destroyed.
When stamped on a check, what does NSF stand for?
Non-sufficient funds
How often should patients receive a billing statement?
Once per month
Who should be in charge of the petty cash fund?
One authorized person
In which of the following ledgers would an assistant look to find a specific patient's current outstanding balance?
Patient ledger
Which of the following terms refers to the person who writes the check?
Payor
What kind of check is most commonly received for payment?
Personal check
If a physician treats a fellow health care worker and does not collect the remaining fee after that worker's insurance contribution is received, this is what kind of adjustment?
Professional courtesy
Which of the following would be considered an accounting task?
Sending patient bills
A check stub, or register, should be filled out every time a check is written.
True
A physician might extend professional courtesy to the medical office assistant.
True
It is okay to complete a check in pencil as long as it is dark enough to read.
False
Which of the following best describes the term "professional courtesy"?
A fee discount for health care workers
In an office with a computerized practice-management system, patient invoices still must be written out by hand.
False
It is okay to mail a check as long as the check is not visible from outside the envelope.
True
Medical office assistants may be required to perform accounting tasks.
True
