# RDH Law and Ethics practice questions: Patient privacy and mandated reporting

Five original RDH Law and Ethics practice questions on patient privacy and mandated reporting, each answered on this page with a rationale and a source.

Last updated: 2026-07-25.

## Question 1

A patient submits a written request for copies of his records. The provider elects to prepare a written summary of the record instead of releasing full copies. Which deadline applies to the summary?

- A. Five working days, the same clock that governs on-site inspection of the record.
- B. 15 days, the same clock that governs copies furnished to the patient.
- C. 10 working days, extendable to no more than 30 days in narrow cases.
- D. 60 calendar days, matching the federal HIPAA access deadline for records.

**Answer C:** 10 working days, extendable to no more than 30 days in narrow cases.

instead of copies, the provider may elect to prepare a written summary of the record, due within 10 working days and extendable to no more than 30 days in narrow circumstances such as a record of extraordinary length.

**Common trap:** every wrong option is a real access number attached to the wrong request — keep the 5-15-10-30 grid sorted.

Source: [Cal. Health & Safety Code § 123110 et seq. — patient access to health records: 5-working-day inspection, 15-day copies, the § 123130 summary option…](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=123110.&lawCode=HSC)

## Question 2

An 80-year-old patient tells her hygienist that her adult son constantly belittles her and makes her feel worthless. She describes no physical harm, no withheld care, no isolation, and no money taken. What does the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act require?

- A. A report is permitted but not required, since emotional mistreatment is outside the mandatory categories.
- B. A report is mandatory within two working days, because all mistreatment of an elder must be reported.
- C. No report may be made at all, because emotional mistreatment falls outside the statute entirely.
- D. A report is mandatory, but it goes only to the long-term care ombudsman, not to law enforcement.

**Answer A:** A report is permitted but not required, since emotional mistreatment is outside the mandatory categories.

mandated reporting covers physical abuse, abandonment, abduction, isolation, financial abuse, and neglect; for other mistreatment or endangerment of emotional well-being, the reporter may report.

**Common trap:** the two-working-day written clock and the ombudsman lanes belong to mandatory reports, not to the permissive category.

Source: [Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 15630 et seq. — Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act mandated reporting, with the §§ 15610–15610.65…](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=15630.&lawCode=WIC)

## Question 3

A patient tells the office she needs a copy of her records to support an application for a listed public benefit program, and she cannot pay a copying charge. What does California law require?

- A. One relevant copy must be provided free within 30 days.
- B. The usual per-page fee may be charged, but postage must be waived.
- C. Prepayment may be required, because copy fees are set by statute.
- D. The request must be routed to the benefit program, which pays the copying cost.

**Answer A:** One relevant copy must be provided free within 30 days.

when records are needed to support an application for a listed public benefit program, one relevant copy must be provided free of charge on a 30-day timeline.

**Common trap:** the ordinary § 123110(j) lane permits an actual-cost fee — copying labor for paper or electronic records, supplies and media, postage, an agreed summary — and only paper copies and microfilm copies carry the 25-cent and 50-cent per-page ceilings. That lane governs routine copy requests; this listed public-benefit lane is free.

Source: [Cal. Health & Safety Code § 123110 et seq. — patient access to health records: 5-working-day inspection, 15-day copies, the § 123130 summary option…](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=123110.&lawCode=HSC)

## Question 4

A patient of a Fresno general practice hands the front desk a signed written request to come in and look through her own periodontal chart and radiographs. Staff verify her identity that same afternoon. The hygienist is asked how quickly the office must let her review the record on site.

- A. Within 5 working days of the verified request.
- B. Within 10 working days of the verified request.
- C. Within 15 days of the verified request.
- D. Within 30 days of the verified request.

**Answer A:** Within 5 working days of the verified request.

Health & Safety Code § 123110 gives the patient a right to inspect her own treatment records within 5 working days after the provider receives the request and verifies the requester's identity or authority. Inspection and copying run on separate clocks: the 15-day figure is the deadline for transmitting requested copies, not for on-site review.

**Common trap:** The 15-day copy clock is the number candidates memorize first, so it gets selected for every access scenario. The 10-working-day option is the provider-elected § 123130 summary deadline, and the 30-day option is the free public-benefit copy lane — both are real deadlines attached to different requests.

Source: [Cal. Health & Safety Code § 123110 et seq. — patient access to health records: 5-working-day inspection and 15-day copy deadlines, § 123130 summary…](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=123110.&lawCode=HSC)

## Question 5

During a prophylaxis on a 7-year-old, an RDH in a Fresno general practice notes a torn upper labial frenum, bruising on both upper arms in several stages of healing, and a caregiver explanation that keeps changing. The RDH tells the supervising dentist, who replies, "I know this family. I'll look into it and call if anything comes of it." The office policy manual states that all suspected-abuse concerns are routed to the practice owner for filing. What must the RDH do?

- A. Follow the office policy and let the practice owner file the report, since the policy assigns him that responsibility.
- B. Make the mandated report to a designated agency herself, because the reporting duty is individual and cannot be delegated to anyone.
- C. Document the findings in the chart, re-appoint the child in two weeks, and report only if the bruising pattern is unchanged.
- D. Refer the child to a pediatrician for a medical opinion and report only if the physician confirms non-accidental injury.

**Answer B:** Make the mandated report to a designated agency herself, because the reporting duty is individual and cannot be delegated to anyone.

Penal Code § 11166(a) attaches the duty to the mandated reporter personally whenever, in the reporter's professional capacity, the reporter knows of or reasonably suspects child abuse or neglect, and § 11165.7(a)(21) names the dental hygienist as a mandated reporter. The statute states that the reporting duties are individual, that no supervisor or administrator may impede or inhibit them, that an internal policy "shall not direct an employee to allow the employee's supervisor to file or process a mandated report under any circumstances," and that notifying an employer or supervisor "shall not be a substitute for making a mandated report." Reasonable suspicion is enough; certainty and a specific medical indication are expressly not required.

**Common trap:** Options A, C, and D all feel professionally responsible — deferring to the dentist's judgment, gathering more data, getting a physician's opinion — and each is exactly what the statute forecloses. Candidates coming from workplaces with "escalate to management" compliance training pick A most often; the exam's answer is always the agency, never the chain of command, and the hygienist is a reporter, not an investigator.

Source: [Cal. Penal Code § 11165.7 — CANRA "mandated reporter" definition; subdivision (a)(21) names the dental hygienist; subdivision (f) provides that…](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=11165.7.&lawCode=PEN)

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Official reference: [DHBC/PSI RDH Laws and Ethics Written Examination Candidate Information Bulletin](https://www.dhbc.ca.gov/formspubs/candidate_handbook.pdf). Original exam-style questions written for study, never recalled exam content. Independent educational preparation, not legal advice, and not affiliated with or endorsed by the Dental Hygiene Board of California or PSI. Confirm current requirements with the Dental Hygiene Board of California.