Free Practice Questions for CHAM

Exam-style questions and explanations by OpenExamPrep.

✓ No registration✓ No credit card

100+ Questions

100% Free

Loading practice questions...

Same family resources

Explore More NAHAM Patient Access Certifications

Continue into nearby exams from the same family. Each card keeps practice questions, study guides, flashcards, videos, and articles in one place.

NAHAM CHAA Certified Healthcare Access Associate

Practice Questions128 questions Study Guide Cheat Sheet Flashcards Blogs1 blog

Free CE

More From This Family

Videos and articles for deeper review.

ArticleNAHAM CHAA Application and Testing Checklist 202613 min read

Sample CHAM Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the CHAM exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1A transfer center asks Patient Access to coordinate a patient moving from a community hospital to the health system's tertiary facility. Which action best reflects the Patient Access manager's role in the pre-arrival process?

A.Accept the patient before verifying contractual, capacity, and required transfer documentation requirements

B.Coordinate referral and transfer data so clinical acceptance, payer requirements, and registration needs are addressed before arrival

C.Tell the sending facility to route all information directly to billing after the patient arrives

D.Delay account creation until discharge so duplicate accounts cannot occur

Explanation: Pre-arrival access work includes managing intra- and inter-facility referrals and transfers while complying with legal, contractual, and regulatory requirements. A manager should make sure the transfer record, payer information, acceptance pathway, and registration prerequisites are coordinated before the patient arrives.

2A scheduler receives an order for an MRI with sedation for a patient who uses a wheelchair and needs an interpreter. What should the scheduler do first?

A.Book the next open MRI slot and let the department solve the accommodations on arrival

B.Assess special needs and coordinate the location, staff, interpreter, and equipment requirements before finalizing the appointment

C.Schedule only after the patient's insurance claim from the visit has been paid

D.Decline scheduling because sedation always requires an emergency department arrival

Explanation: The CHAM pre-arrival outline emphasizes assessing patient expectations and special needs, including language, physical, cultural, and emotional needs. Scheduling should align resources, staff, equipment, and documented requirements before the appointment is confirmed.

3During pre-registration, a registrar finds two existing records for the same patient with slightly different addresses. What is the best management response?

A.Create a third record so today's encounter is not delayed

B.Use the record with the most recent address and ignore the other record

C.Follow the duplicate-record resolution process to protect EMPI integrity before completing the account

D.Ask the patient which medical record number they prefer

Explanation: Maintaining enterprise master patient index integrity is a core pre-registration task. Duplicate records should be handled through the organization's identity-management process so clinical, billing, and safety data remain connected to the correct person.

4A payer requires prior authorization for a scheduled infusion. Which pre-arrival activity most directly prevents a medical-necessity or authorization denial?

A.Validate eligibility, benefits, authorization rules, and order requirements before the service date

B.Collect the full estimated balance and skip payer verification

C.Wait for the claim denial and then submit a retroactive authorization request

D.Ask the clinical department to remove the diagnosis from the order

Explanation: Financial clearance includes identifying the accurate payer and plan, validating eligibility and benefits, and meeting payer authorization requirements. Completing those steps before service reduces preventable denials and improves patient communication.

5A patient schedules a service and says they will not use insurance. Under No Surprises Act good-faith-estimate workflow, what should Patient Access do?

A.Treat the estimate as optional because the patient chose self-pay

B.Give the patient an expected-charge estimate according to the organization's uninsured and self-pay process

C.Tell the patient estimates are available only after coding reviews the final claim

D.Collect a deposit and avoid discussing expected charges

Explanation: CMS explains that uninsured or self-pay individuals generally must receive a good faith estimate of expected charges. Patient Access should route the patient through the required estimate process rather than waiting for the final bill.

6Which information is most important to capture during pre-registration to support accurate patient matching and payer processing?

A.Patient demographics, guarantor information, and insurance details

B.The patient's preferred parking area and cafeteria choice

C.Only the ordering provider's office phone number

D.A nickname if it is easier for staff to pronounce

Explanation: Pre-registration includes creating the patient account and obtaining demographics, guarantor, and insurance information. These data elements support patient identity, financial clearance, billing, and downstream communication.

7A physician office sends a referral for a specialist visit, but the patient's health plan requires a referral number before the visit. What should the access team do?

A.Ignore the payer requirement because the referral came from a physician

B.Verify and document the payer-required referral before the visit or escalate according to policy

C.Cancel the visit without notifying the patient

D.Tell the patient to bring cash because referrals do not affect claims

Explanation: Pre-arrival financial clearance includes meeting payer requirements and validating referrals or authorizations when required. Escalation and communication are appropriate when a missing referral could affect coverage or cause a denial.

8Which scheduling note is most useful for downstream departments?

A.Patient sounded pleasant

B.Patient requires Spanish interpreter, wheelchair-accessible check-in, and arrival 45 minutes early for ordered lab prerequisite

C.Patient may have insurance but is unsure

D.Patient prefers morning appointments

Explanation: Pertinent schedule documentation should communicate special needs, resource requirements, and clinical prerequisites that affect the service. Clear notes allow registration, clinical, interpreter, and ancillary teams to prepare.

9A patient has Medicare and an employer group health plan. Why should Patient Access complete Medicare Secondary Payer screening questions?

A.To determine whether Medicare or another payer has primary payment responsibility

B.To decide whether the physician's diagnosis is clinically valid

C.To replace the need for eligibility verification

D.To determine whether the patient is allowed to receive emergency care

Explanation: CMS describes Medicare Secondary Payer rules as identifying when Medicare does not have primary payment responsibility because another entity should pay first. Patient Access screening helps route claims to the correct payer sequence.

10Which pre-arrival practice best supports compliance with contractual limitations?

A.Confirm network status, benefit limitations, authorization rules, and patient responsibility before service when possible

B.Tell all patients the service will be covered because it is ordered by a physician

C.Avoid documenting payer conversations so the account remains flexible

D.Schedule only patients with commercial insurance

Explanation: The pre-arrival outline includes informing patients of financial prerequisites and complying with contractual limitations. Verifying network, benefit, authorization, and patient-liability details supports both compliance and transparent communication.

About the CHAM Exam

The NAHAM CHAM credential validates management-level patient access knowledge for healthcare access leaders. The exam emphasizes pre-arrival operations, arrival workflows, patient experience, billing and collections, information systems, statistical reporting, KPIs, performance management, leadership, staffing, and process improvement.

Exam sponsor: National Association of Healthcare Access Management (NAHAM) / Prometric. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

115-question multiple-choice examination

Time Limit

2 hours

Passing Score

Pass/fail cut score adjusted by exam period

Exam / Certification Fees

$220 NAHAM members; $250 non-members

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

30%

Pre-arrival

Transfers, scheduling, pre-registration, payer validation, authorizations, estimates, financial clearance, and coordination of benefits.

30%

Arrival

Registration, notices, patient class validation, collections, denials, information technology, patient experience, and service recovery.

40%

Access Management

Statistical reporting, dashboards, KPIs, process improvement, patient experience management, competency, staffing, budgeting, and leadership.

Preparing for the CHAM Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Pass/fail cut score adjusted by exam period
Assessment: 115-question multiple-choice examination
Time limit: 2 hours
Exam / certification fees: $220 NAHAM members; $250 non-members Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

Work through all 100 available questions
Review every answer and explanation
Track weak areas and revisit them
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

CHAM: Suggested Study Strategy

1Use the CHAM outline to practice management-level decisions, not just front-line registration tasks.

2Build comfort with access KPIs, denial trends, staffing, process improvement, patient experience metrics, and regulatory escalation scenarios.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are on the NAHAM CHAM exam?

NAHAM's candidate guide states that the CHAM examination consists of 115 multiple-choice questions.

What is the largest CHAM content area?

Access Management is the largest CHAM content area at 40% of the exam.