10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
These 10 free CPPM questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Certified Physician Practice Manager blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
Domain 3: Fraud & Abuse and Corporate Compliance
Question 1
A physician refers Medicare patients for MRI scans at a center in which her spouse owns an interest. The scans are medically necessary, prices are reasonable, and the ownership is disclosed to patients. Legal review confirms that no Stark exception applies. A partner argues that the referrals are permissible because there was no intent to defraud Medicare. Which response addresses that argument?
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Correct answer: B - Stark's referral prohibition does not depend on proof of improper intent.
Domain 4: Quality in Health Care
Question 2
Two offices use the same patient-experience question, rated from 0 (worst) to 10 (best). Office A reports 86% favorable by counting ratings of 8, 9, or 10. Office B reports 74% favorable by counting only 9 or 10. The survey periods, sampling methods, and patient populations are comparable. Before using these results to select a site for improvement support, the manager needs to:
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Correct answer: C - Recalculate both offices' percentages using the same favorable-response definition.
Domain 5: Medical Office Accounting
Question 3
An accrual-basis practice correctly recorded $960 of earned patient-service revenue and accounts receivable in April. When the full payment arrived in May, the bookkeeper debited Cash and credited Patient-service revenue. No adjustments are needed to the amount collected. Which single correcting entry fixes the May error without changing the correctly recorded cash balance?
A 68-year-old patient has Original Medicare because of age and group coverage through her spouse's current employment. The spouse's single employer has consistently employed 48 people throughout this year and last year. There is no end-stage renal disease, accident-related coverage, or other payer. The registration record currently lists Medicare first. Which payer order is correct?
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Correct answer: C - The employer group health plan first, with Medicare secondary.
Domain 7: Health Care Revenue Cycle Management
Question 5
After a payer contract renewal, the practice's denial rate remains low, but collections per visit fall. A sample shows correctly billed services paid below the new contract's applicable allowances, even after patient cost sharing is accounted for. The remittances label the differences CO-45, and the posting system automatically writes them off. What should the manager do with these accounts?
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Correct answer: C - Pursue contractual underpayments with the payer and correct the unsupported write-offs.
Domain 8: Human Resource Management
Question 6
An hourly, nonexempt receptionist worked 46 hours in a workweek. Her supervisor knew she was staying late to finish check-in reconciliations. The practice's written policy requires advance approval for overtime, which she did not obtain. She has no paid-leave hours or other pay adjustments. What is the correct payroll and management response under the federal FLSA?
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Correct answer: A - Pay for all hours worked, including required overtime, and address the approval violation separately.
Domain 9: Marketing and Business Relationships
Question 7
A practice has capacity for either of two advertising campaigns. A community campaign costs $4,000 and is expected to produce 60 completed first visits; an online campaign costs $1,800 and is expected to produce 30. Each visit carries a $250 charge, expected net collections of $160, and $70 in incremental service costs. Existing fixed costs will not change. Considering only these first visits, which campaign produces the greater contribution after advertising and incremental service costs?
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Correct answer: D - Community: $1,400, after subtracting both incremental service and advertising costs.
Domain 10: Space Planning and Operational Flows
Question 8
A patient at the registration desk develops severe chest pressure and marked difficulty breathing. An on-site clinician is available, but the receptionist wants to verify the patient's new insurance before interrupting the schedule. Which instruction should the practice manager give immediately?
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Correct answer: A - Activate the office emergency response, call EMS, and summon the clinician.
Domain 11: HIPAA & Patient Data Security
Question 9
'We need a signed authorization first,' a records clerk says when a cardiologist treating a referred patient requests the medication list, laboratory results, and office notes. The request arrived through a verified secure channel. The records contain no specially protected information, and no other disclosure restriction applies. What should the practice manager tell the clerk?
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Correct answer: A - Send the requested records for treatment; a separate HIPAA authorization is not required.
Domain 12: Electronic Health Record
Question 10
After an electronic record conversion, staff find notes from two unrelated patients under one medical-record number. The patients have the same surname but different dates of birth. Clinical staff have been alerted not to rely on the mixed record. Which classification and correction plan fit this finding?
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Correct answer: B - A record overlay; verify identity and separate the information through controlled correction.