ACHE's Board of Governors Exam 2026
Question and Answer | Final Review Pack |
Grade A+
• Governance and Organizational Structure -✓✓Explains board
responsibilities (CEO selection, budget approval), governance models
(managerial, resource-based), medical staff oversight (credentialing,
privileging), and organizational structures (functional, matrix, service-
line).
• Human Resources -✓✓Includes recruitment, labor law (FMLA,
ADA), performance reviews, compensation models, DEI, conflict
resolution, retention, and succession planning.
• Financial Management -✓✓Details income statements, balance sheets,
financial ratios, reimbursement models (DRGs, APCs, VBP), budgeting
types, and the HFMA Code of Ethics.
• Information Technology and Systems -✓✓Covers HIS, EHR,
cybersecurity, HIPAA, HITECH, data governance, analytics
(descriptive, predictive), project lifecycles, and tech adoption.
• Quality and Performance Improvement -✓✓Explains Lean, Six
Sigma, PDSA, CQI, risk management (RCA, FMEA), clinical pathways,
population health, benchmarking (HCAHPS, NPS), and PI councils.
• Laws and Regulations -✓✓Includes Stark Law, EMTALA, Anti-
Kickback, False Claims Act, IRBs, informed consent, HIPAA, HITECH,
ADA, and accreditation (TJC, CMS).
,• Professionalism and Ethics -✓✓Covers ACHE Code of Ethics,
Belmont Report, COI prevention, diversity/inclusion, research ethics,
organizational values, and leadership integrity.
• Marketing and Communications -✓✓Explains the 4 Ps, service line
promotion, community outreach, internal communication, crisis comms,
branding, and PR strategy.
• Business and Operations -✓✓Includes Lean ops, throughput, capacity
planning, project management, supply chain logistics, JIT, space
planning, and emergency preparedness.
• SWOT -✓✓A strategic planning tool used to identify strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• DRGs -✓✓Diagnosis-Related Groups, a system to classify hospital
cases into groups for payment purposes.
• APCs -✓✓Ambulatory Payment Classifications, a system for
outpatient services reimbursement.
• VBP -✓✓Value-Based Purchasing, a strategy to improve healthcare
quality by linking payment to performance.
• FMLA -✓✓Family and Medical Leave Act, a labor law requiring
employers to provide employees with job-protected and unpaid leave for
qualified medical and family reasons.
• ADA -✓✓Americans with Disabilities Act, a civil rights law that
prohibits discrimination based on disability.
• RCA -✓✓Root Cause Analysis, a method of problem-solving used for
identifying the root causes of faults or problems.
,• FMEA -✓✓Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, a systematic method
for evaluating processes to identify where and how they might fail.
• HCAHPS -✓✓Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare
Providers and Systems, a standardized survey of patient perspectives on
hospital care.
• NPS -✓✓Net Promoter Score, a metric used to gauge the loyalty of a
firm's customer relationships.
• LEAN -✓✓A systematic method for waste minimization within a
manufacturing system without sacrificing productivity.
• Six Sigma -✓✓A set of techniques and tools for process improvement.
• PDSA -✓✓Plan-Do-Study-Act, an iterative four-stage problem-
solving model.
• COI -✓✓Conflict of Interest, a situation in which a person or
organization is involved in multiple interests, financial or otherwise, and
serving one interest could involve working against another.
• Legal and Ethical Duties of Board Members -✓✓Responsibilities and
obligations that board members must adhere to in healthcare
governance.
• Board Composition & Structure -✓✓The arrangement and makeup of
a board of directors in a healthcare organization.
• Core Functions of the Governing Board (ACHE / WMHCO) -
✓✓Essential roles and responsibilities of the governing board as defined
by ACHE and WMHCO.
, • Board Committees and Their Roles -✓✓Specific groups within the
board that focus on particular areas of governance.
• Medical Staff Governance and Oversight -✓✓The framework for
managing and supervising the medical staff in a healthcare organization.
• Organizational Structure Types in Healthcare -✓✓Different models of
organizational frameworks used in healthcare settings.
• IRS and Nonprofit Board Compliance -✓✓Regulatory requirements
for nonprofit boards to comply with IRS standards.
• Risk Management and Governance Accountability -✓✓Strategies for
identifying and mitigating risks while ensuring accountability in
governance.
• Board Education and Evaluation -✓✓Processes for training board
members and assessing their performance.
• Voluntary Governance Best Practices (Sarbanes-Oxley Inspired) -
✓✓Recommended governance practices inspired by the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act.
• Domain 3: Human Resources -✓✓Focus area concerning the
management of personnel in healthcare organizations.
• Strategic HR Foundations -✓✓Fundamental principles that guide
human resources strategy in healthcare.
• Recruitment, Selection, and Onboarding -✓✓Processes for attracting,
choosing, and integrating new employees.
Question and Answer | Final Review Pack |
Grade A+
• Governance and Organizational Structure -✓✓Explains board
responsibilities (CEO selection, budget approval), governance models
(managerial, resource-based), medical staff oversight (credentialing,
privileging), and organizational structures (functional, matrix, service-
line).
• Human Resources -✓✓Includes recruitment, labor law (FMLA,
ADA), performance reviews, compensation models, DEI, conflict
resolution, retention, and succession planning.
• Financial Management -✓✓Details income statements, balance sheets,
financial ratios, reimbursement models (DRGs, APCs, VBP), budgeting
types, and the HFMA Code of Ethics.
• Information Technology and Systems -✓✓Covers HIS, EHR,
cybersecurity, HIPAA, HITECH, data governance, analytics
(descriptive, predictive), project lifecycles, and tech adoption.
• Quality and Performance Improvement -✓✓Explains Lean, Six
Sigma, PDSA, CQI, risk management (RCA, FMEA), clinical pathways,
population health, benchmarking (HCAHPS, NPS), and PI councils.
• Laws and Regulations -✓✓Includes Stark Law, EMTALA, Anti-
Kickback, False Claims Act, IRBs, informed consent, HIPAA, HITECH,
ADA, and accreditation (TJC, CMS).
,• Professionalism and Ethics -✓✓Covers ACHE Code of Ethics,
Belmont Report, COI prevention, diversity/inclusion, research ethics,
organizational values, and leadership integrity.
• Marketing and Communications -✓✓Explains the 4 Ps, service line
promotion, community outreach, internal communication, crisis comms,
branding, and PR strategy.
• Business and Operations -✓✓Includes Lean ops, throughput, capacity
planning, project management, supply chain logistics, JIT, space
planning, and emergency preparedness.
• SWOT -✓✓A strategic planning tool used to identify strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• DRGs -✓✓Diagnosis-Related Groups, a system to classify hospital
cases into groups for payment purposes.
• APCs -✓✓Ambulatory Payment Classifications, a system for
outpatient services reimbursement.
• VBP -✓✓Value-Based Purchasing, a strategy to improve healthcare
quality by linking payment to performance.
• FMLA -✓✓Family and Medical Leave Act, a labor law requiring
employers to provide employees with job-protected and unpaid leave for
qualified medical and family reasons.
• ADA -✓✓Americans with Disabilities Act, a civil rights law that
prohibits discrimination based on disability.
• RCA -✓✓Root Cause Analysis, a method of problem-solving used for
identifying the root causes of faults or problems.
,• FMEA -✓✓Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, a systematic method
for evaluating processes to identify where and how they might fail.
• HCAHPS -✓✓Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare
Providers and Systems, a standardized survey of patient perspectives on
hospital care.
• NPS -✓✓Net Promoter Score, a metric used to gauge the loyalty of a
firm's customer relationships.
• LEAN -✓✓A systematic method for waste minimization within a
manufacturing system without sacrificing productivity.
• Six Sigma -✓✓A set of techniques and tools for process improvement.
• PDSA -✓✓Plan-Do-Study-Act, an iterative four-stage problem-
solving model.
• COI -✓✓Conflict of Interest, a situation in which a person or
organization is involved in multiple interests, financial or otherwise, and
serving one interest could involve working against another.
• Legal and Ethical Duties of Board Members -✓✓Responsibilities and
obligations that board members must adhere to in healthcare
governance.
• Board Composition & Structure -✓✓The arrangement and makeup of
a board of directors in a healthcare organization.
• Core Functions of the Governing Board (ACHE / WMHCO) -
✓✓Essential roles and responsibilities of the governing board as defined
by ACHE and WMHCO.
, • Board Committees and Their Roles -✓✓Specific groups within the
board that focus on particular areas of governance.
• Medical Staff Governance and Oversight -✓✓The framework for
managing and supervising the medical staff in a healthcare organization.
• Organizational Structure Types in Healthcare -✓✓Different models of
organizational frameworks used in healthcare settings.
• IRS and Nonprofit Board Compliance -✓✓Regulatory requirements
for nonprofit boards to comply with IRS standards.
• Risk Management and Governance Accountability -✓✓Strategies for
identifying and mitigating risks while ensuring accountability in
governance.
• Board Education and Evaluation -✓✓Processes for training board
members and assessing their performance.
• Voluntary Governance Best Practices (Sarbanes-Oxley Inspired) -
✓✓Recommended governance practices inspired by the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act.
• Domain 3: Human Resources -✓✓Focus area concerning the
management of personnel in healthcare organizations.
• Strategic HR Foundations -✓✓Fundamental principles that guide
human resources strategy in healthcare.
• Recruitment, Selection, and Onboarding -✓✓Processes for attracting,
choosing, and integrating new employees.
