CPHQ Exam Flashcards (2023) Q&A
Which of the following can be defined as, "A set of measures and data that give managers and administrators a quick yet comprehensive overview of performance? a. Process measurement
b. Balanced scorecard
c. Dashboard
d. Six Sigma Correct Answer - Balanced Scorecard
Balanced scorecards are useful because they put strategy and vision at the center of an organization's efforts. They provide a visual display of the entire organization's progress. (Scorecards tell health systems how they're doing overall. They are quick and comprehensive. Dashboards tell systems what's happening now using interactive metrics with drill-down capabilities)
Describe quality assurance vs. quality control Correct Answer - Quality Assurance: Focus
is on the processes and procedures that improve quality, including any corrective actions needed to optimize post-production quality Quality Control: Focus on the product to find defects that occur after development
A patient care team is in disagreement over new admissions procedures. What decision-making model should management use? a. Decision criteria
b. Consensus c. Tenure influence Correct Answer - Decision criteria
(This model explores all options equally and gives unorthodox or unpopular options a fair chance)
How does the World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist lead to tight coupling in the operating room? a. It establishes universality for patients
b. It compartmentalizes the procedures
c. It establishes a clear OR hierarchy
d. It closely aligns the various individuals involved in the process Correct Answer - It closely aligns the various individuals involved in the process
Define risk management Correct Answer - Taking steps to avoid and control risks within an environment to accomplish a desired outcome
Describe internal vs. external customers Correct Answer - Internal customers work within
the organizational structure. External customers rely on and/or utilize the healthcare organization
and product (patients, family members, medical equipment suppliers) Within the last 4 days, three post-surgical patients have died of pneumonia-related complications
at a large hospital. None of the patients presented as symptomatic for pneumonia at the time of surgery. What evaluation tool should be used to help identify and resolve this issue? a. Epidemiological theory
b. Performance management measures
c. Statistical analysis
d. Improvement measures Correct Answer - Epidemiological Theory, which is used to identify the source and cause of an issue or anomaly
(The other tools are used to quantify data or examine processes that can contribute to improvement)
When Hospital A's neonatal infection rates rise unexpectedly, the quality council establishes a new set of performance measures. They base their measures on internal standards, customer survey data, and employee survey data. What important element are the members disregarding? Correct Answer - External standards, such as national goals and requirements
(External data provides a context for the internal data and distinguishes where and how the facility falls compared to national standards)
What challenges often occur with the use of aggregated data? Correct Answer - Context is lost and solutions are not identified
What elements should be part of an employee performance improvement plan? What elements should NOT be part of a performance improvement plan? Correct Answer - 1) A clear statement of the problems to be addressed
2) Specific action steps to be taken as part of the plan
3) A desired outcome or goal behavior and a timeline
(It does NOT include any research into the cause of an employee's challenges)
Recent HCAHPS data for Hospital A indicate that doctors are not providing adequate explanations to patients. In improving the patient safety culture with regards to this issue, what two elements must be addressed? a. Patient perceptions and clinical quality
b. Patient perceptions and physician education
c. Physician education and time constraints
d. Quality standards and time constraints Correct Answer - Patient perceptions and clinical quality
(Patient perception includes the mode of communication, the depth of information, and understandability of the context. Clinical quality includes the doctor's understanding of communication techniques, health literacy, etc.)
Which of the following are the primary reasons for developing drug formularies?
a. Manage pharmacy costs, promote patient safety b. Reduce medication errors, educate physicians
c. Encourage the appropriate use of medications, educate physicians
d. Decrease food and drug interactions, promote patient safety Correct Answer - A drug formulary is an approved list of medications, clinical indications, and doses that helps manage pharmacy costs and patient safety
Management using quality improvement principles should emphasize the importance of:
a. Staff orientation
b. Customers' expectations
c. Quarterly statistical reports
d. Team selection Correct Answer - The basis of quality improvement is knowing what the customer needs and wants (b) The rest are only one component of quality improvement.
Quality improvement teams are beneficial because they
a. Promote competition and pride among members
b. Maximize expertise and perspectives
c. Authorize solutions to problems Correct Answer - A diverse team, including members with different experience and backgrounds, provides a broader knowledge base and outcomes
Which of the following is an essential component in a performance improvement report?
a. Governing body approval
b. Data analysis and display
c. Individual performance review
d. Team composition and attendance Correct Answer - Data and analysis display
What is the primary goal of risk management? Correct Answer - To identify and manage risks to promote patient safety
The relationship between patient satisfaction and hours per patient day on a medical unit was found to be (r=0.60, p < 0.05). What is the correlation between these two values?
a. 0.05
b. 0.36
c. 0.55
d. 0.60 Correct Answer - The correlation coefficient (r) is an index that ranges from -1 to 1 and reflects the extent of a linear relationship between two data sets. The correlation coefficient
is 0.60.
For a quality improvement team to deal effectively with conflict, it is important to appoint which
of the following to its membership?
a. Risk manager
b. HR representative
c. Facilitatior
d. Senior leader Correct Answer - A facilitator is an unbiased party that may help groups deal with conflict (c)
Which of the following best describes an organizational vision statement? a. It is used as a marketing strategy
b. It defines the structure of the institution
c. It describes the organization's strategic plan
d. It reflects the organization's aspirations Correct Answer - An organization's vision statement reflects its aspirations and goals for the future (Not to be confused with the mission statement, which describes the organization's purpose or reason for existence)
The most effective way for a healthcare quality professional to communicate quality improvement activities to the medical staff is by:
a. Evaluating physician participation on quality teams
b. Inviting medical staff to an in-service on quality tools
c. Providing outcome data at medical staff meetings
d. Developing professional relationships Correct Answer - Providing outcome data at medical staff meetings (Outcome data communicates objective feedback to medical staff)
Quality improvement team progress is best evaluated by which of the following?
a. Team leader
b. Senior leadership
c. PDCA/PDSA process
d. Nominal group technique Correct Answer - PDCA/PDSA process
(The Plan, Do, Check, Act process is a comprehensive methodology used to conduct performance improvement activities, including the analysis of progress)
A team has identified a process for improvement, selected examples of best practice performers, visited those sites, gathered all necessary data, and compiled the results. The most effective next step for the team is to
a. Identify the next process to benchmark
b. Implement change at the team's site
c. Compare results to historical data
d. Make the results public for others to use for benchmarking Correct Answer - Implementation (b) is the next step in the performance improvement cycle
Which of the following is essential to an effective quality council?
a. Involvement of leadership
b. Consultation of the legal advisor
c. Participation of the strategic planning committee
d. Direction from the organization's quality team Correct Answer - Leadership involvement (a) promotes an effective quality council through resource and support allocation to achieve objectives
Which of the following can be defined as, "A set of measures and data that give managers and administrators a quick yet comprehensive overview of performance? a. Process measurement
b. Balanced scorecard
c. Dashboard
d. Six Sigma Correct Answer - Balanced Scorecard
Balanced scorecards are useful because they put strategy and vision at the center of an organization's efforts. They provide a visual display of the entire organization's progress. (Scorecards tell health systems how they're doing overall. They are quick and comprehensive. Dashboards tell systems what's happening now using interactive metrics with drill-down capabilities)
Describe quality assurance vs. quality control Correct Answer - Quality Assurance: Focus
is on the processes and procedures that improve quality, including any corrective actions needed to optimize post-production quality Quality Control: Focus on the product to find defects that occur after development
A patient care team is in disagreement over new admissions procedures. What decision-making model should management use? a. Decision criteria
b. Consensus c. Tenure influence Correct Answer - Decision criteria
(This model explores all options equally and gives unorthodox or unpopular options a fair chance)
How does the World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist lead to tight coupling in the operating room? a. It establishes universality for patients
b. It compartmentalizes the procedures
c. It establishes a clear OR hierarchy
d. It closely aligns the various individuals involved in the process Correct Answer - It closely aligns the various individuals involved in the process
Define risk management Correct Answer - Taking steps to avoid and control risks within an environment to accomplish a desired outcome
Describe internal vs. external customers Correct Answer - Internal customers work within
the organizational structure. External customers rely on and/or utilize the healthcare organization
and product (patients, family members, medical equipment suppliers) Within the last 4 days, three post-surgical patients have died of pneumonia-related complications
at a large hospital. None of the patients presented as symptomatic for pneumonia at the time of surgery. What evaluation tool should be used to help identify and resolve this issue? a. Epidemiological theory
b. Performance management measures
c. Statistical analysis
d. Improvement measures Correct Answer - Epidemiological Theory, which is used to identify the source and cause of an issue or anomaly
(The other tools are used to quantify data or examine processes that can contribute to improvement)
When Hospital A's neonatal infection rates rise unexpectedly, the quality council establishes a new set of performance measures. They base their measures on internal standards, customer survey data, and employee survey data. What important element are the members disregarding? Correct Answer - External standards, such as national goals and requirements
(External data provides a context for the internal data and distinguishes where and how the facility falls compared to national standards)
What challenges often occur with the use of aggregated data? Correct Answer - Context is lost and solutions are not identified
What elements should be part of an employee performance improvement plan? What elements should NOT be part of a performance improvement plan? Correct Answer - 1) A clear statement of the problems to be addressed
2) Specific action steps to be taken as part of the plan
3) A desired outcome or goal behavior and a timeline
(It does NOT include any research into the cause of an employee's challenges)
Recent HCAHPS data for Hospital A indicate that doctors are not providing adequate explanations to patients. In improving the patient safety culture with regards to this issue, what two elements must be addressed? a. Patient perceptions and clinical quality
b. Patient perceptions and physician education
c. Physician education and time constraints
d. Quality standards and time constraints Correct Answer - Patient perceptions and clinical quality
(Patient perception includes the mode of communication, the depth of information, and understandability of the context. Clinical quality includes the doctor's understanding of communication techniques, health literacy, etc.)
Which of the following are the primary reasons for developing drug formularies?
a. Manage pharmacy costs, promote patient safety b. Reduce medication errors, educate physicians
c. Encourage the appropriate use of medications, educate physicians
d. Decrease food and drug interactions, promote patient safety Correct Answer - A drug formulary is an approved list of medications, clinical indications, and doses that helps manage pharmacy costs and patient safety
Management using quality improvement principles should emphasize the importance of:
a. Staff orientation
b. Customers' expectations
c. Quarterly statistical reports
d. Team selection Correct Answer - The basis of quality improvement is knowing what the customer needs and wants (b) The rest are only one component of quality improvement.
Quality improvement teams are beneficial because they
a. Promote competition and pride among members
b. Maximize expertise and perspectives
c. Authorize solutions to problems Correct Answer - A diverse team, including members with different experience and backgrounds, provides a broader knowledge base and outcomes
Which of the following is an essential component in a performance improvement report?
a. Governing body approval
b. Data analysis and display
c. Individual performance review
d. Team composition and attendance Correct Answer - Data and analysis display
What is the primary goal of risk management? Correct Answer - To identify and manage risks to promote patient safety
The relationship between patient satisfaction and hours per patient day on a medical unit was found to be (r=0.60, p < 0.05). What is the correlation between these two values?
a. 0.05
b. 0.36
c. 0.55
d. 0.60 Correct Answer - The correlation coefficient (r) is an index that ranges from -1 to 1 and reflects the extent of a linear relationship between two data sets. The correlation coefficient
is 0.60.
For a quality improvement team to deal effectively with conflict, it is important to appoint which
of the following to its membership?
a. Risk manager
b. HR representative
c. Facilitatior
d. Senior leader Correct Answer - A facilitator is an unbiased party that may help groups deal with conflict (c)
Which of the following best describes an organizational vision statement? a. It is used as a marketing strategy
b. It defines the structure of the institution
c. It describes the organization's strategic plan
d. It reflects the organization's aspirations Correct Answer - An organization's vision statement reflects its aspirations and goals for the future (Not to be confused with the mission statement, which describes the organization's purpose or reason for existence)
The most effective way for a healthcare quality professional to communicate quality improvement activities to the medical staff is by:
a. Evaluating physician participation on quality teams
b. Inviting medical staff to an in-service on quality tools
c. Providing outcome data at medical staff meetings
d. Developing professional relationships Correct Answer - Providing outcome data at medical staff meetings (Outcome data communicates objective feedback to medical staff)
Quality improvement team progress is best evaluated by which of the following?
a. Team leader
b. Senior leadership
c. PDCA/PDSA process
d. Nominal group technique Correct Answer - PDCA/PDSA process
(The Plan, Do, Check, Act process is a comprehensive methodology used to conduct performance improvement activities, including the analysis of progress)
A team has identified a process for improvement, selected examples of best practice performers, visited those sites, gathered all necessary data, and compiled the results. The most effective next step for the team is to
a. Identify the next process to benchmark
b. Implement change at the team's site
c. Compare results to historical data
d. Make the results public for others to use for benchmarking Correct Answer - Implementation (b) is the next step in the performance improvement cycle
Which of the following is essential to an effective quality council?
a. Involvement of leadership
b. Consultation of the legal advisor
c. Participation of the strategic planning committee
d. Direction from the organization's quality team Correct Answer - Leadership involvement (a) promotes an effective quality council through resource and support allocation to achieve objectives
