The Health Care System Final Exam Questions & Correct
Answers (Latest Version) Graded A+
Academic Medical Center - CORRECT ANSWER >>>The organization of one or more hospitals
around a medical school; Apart from the training of physicians, research activities and clinical
investigations become an important undertaking in these institutions
Accreditation - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A private mechanism designed to assure that accredited
health care facilities meet certain basic standards
Advance Directives - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A patient's wishes regarding continuation or
withdrawal of treatment when the patient lacks decision-making capacity
Average Daily Census - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Average number of hospital beds occupied daily
over a given period of time; This measure provides an estimate of the number of inpatients
receiving care each day at a hospital
Average Length of Stay (ALOS) - CORRECT ANSWER >>>The average number of days each
patient stays in the hospital; For individual or specific categories of patients, this measure
indicates severity of illness and resource use
Board of Trustees - CORRECT ANSWER >>>The governing body of a hospital; It is legally
responsible for hospital operations, and is charged with defining the mission and long-term
direction of the hospital
Certification - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A status conferred by the US Department of Health and
Human Services, which entitles a hospital to participate in Medicare and Medicaid; A necessary
condition is for the hospital to comply with the conditions of participation
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,Chief of Service - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A physician who is in charge of a specific medical
specialty in a hospital, such as cardiology
Chief of Staff - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Also known as the medical director; A physician who
supervises the medical staff in a hospital
Community Hospital - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A nonfederal (i.e. Veteran Affairs and military
hospitals are excluded) short-term, general or specialized hospital whose services are available
to the public
Conditions of Participation - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Standards developed by the Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS) that a facility must comply with in order to participate in the
Medicare and Medicaid programs
Credentials Committee - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A committee that reviews the qualifications of
clinicians so as to decide whether those clinicians should have admitting privileges
Critical Access Hospital (CAH) - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Medicare designation for small rural
hospitals with 25 beds or fewer that provide emergency medical services in addition to
shortterm hospitalization for patients with noncomplex health care needs. CAHs receive cost-
plus reimbursement
Days of Care - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Cumulative number of patient days over a given period of
time
Deemed Status - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A designation used when a hospital, by virtue of its
accreditation by the Joint Commission or the American Osteopathic Association, does not
require separate certification from the DHHS to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid
programs
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,Discharge - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A patient who has received inpatient services; The total
number of discharges indicate access to hospital inpatient services as well as the extent of
utilization
Do-Not-Resuscitate Order (DNR) - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Advance directive telling medical
professionals not to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Through these orders, patients can
have their wishes known regarding aggressive efforts at resuscitation
Durable Power of Attorney - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A written document that provides a legal
means for a patient to delegate authority to another to act on the patient's behalf, even after
the patient has been incapacitated
Ethics Committee - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Interdisciplinary committees that are responsible for
developing guidelines and standards for ethical decision making in the provision of health care
and for resolving issues related to medical ethics
Executive Committee - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A committee within the governing body that has
monitoring responsibility and authority over the hospital; Usually it receives reports from other
committees, monitors policy implementation, and makes recommendations. The medical staff
also have a separate executive committee that establishes policy and has oversight regarding
medical matters
General Hospital - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A hospital that provides a variety of services, including
general medicine, specialized medicine, general surgery, specialized surgery, and obstetrics, to
meet the general medical needs of the community it serves; Such a facility provides diagnostic,
treatment, and surgical services for patients with a variety of medical conditions
Hospital - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A licensed institution with at least six beds, whose primary
function is to deliver diagnostic and therapeutic patient services for various medical conditions;
A hospital must have an organized physician staff, and it must provide continuous nursing
services under the supervision of registered nurses
3|Page
, Infection Control Committee - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A medical committee that is responsible
for reviewing policies and procedures for minimizing infections in the hospital
Informed Consent - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A fundamental patient right to make an informed
choice regarding medical treatment based on full disclosure of medical information by the
providers
Inpatient - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A term used in conjunction with an overnight stay in a health
care facility, such as a hospital
Inpatient Day - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A night spent in the hospital by a person admitted as an
inpatient; Also called a patient day or a hospital day
Investor-Owned Hospitals - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Also referred to as proprietary hospitals; For-
profit hospitals owned by individual partnerships or corporations
Licensure - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Licensing of a health care facility that an organization must
obtain to operate; Licensure is conferred by each state upon compliance with its standards
Living Will - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A legal document in which a patient puts into writing what
his or her preferences are regarding treatment during terminal illness and the use of
lifesustaining technology; Such a directive instructs a physician to withhold or discontinue
medical treatment when the patient is terminally ill and unable to make decisions
Long-Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs) - CORRECT ANSWER >>>These are a special type of longstay
hospitals described in Section 1886(d)(1)(B)(iv) of the Social Security Act; LTCHs must meet
Medicare's conditions of participation for acute (short-stay) hospitals and must have an average
length of stay greater than 25 days. LTCHs serve patients who have complex medical needs and
may suffer from multiple chronic problems requiring long-term hospitalization
4|Page
Answers (Latest Version) Graded A+
Academic Medical Center - CORRECT ANSWER >>>The organization of one or more hospitals
around a medical school; Apart from the training of physicians, research activities and clinical
investigations become an important undertaking in these institutions
Accreditation - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A private mechanism designed to assure that accredited
health care facilities meet certain basic standards
Advance Directives - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A patient's wishes regarding continuation or
withdrawal of treatment when the patient lacks decision-making capacity
Average Daily Census - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Average number of hospital beds occupied daily
over a given period of time; This measure provides an estimate of the number of inpatients
receiving care each day at a hospital
Average Length of Stay (ALOS) - CORRECT ANSWER >>>The average number of days each
patient stays in the hospital; For individual or specific categories of patients, this measure
indicates severity of illness and resource use
Board of Trustees - CORRECT ANSWER >>>The governing body of a hospital; It is legally
responsible for hospital operations, and is charged with defining the mission and long-term
direction of the hospital
Certification - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A status conferred by the US Department of Health and
Human Services, which entitles a hospital to participate in Medicare and Medicaid; A necessary
condition is for the hospital to comply with the conditions of participation
1|Page
,Chief of Service - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A physician who is in charge of a specific medical
specialty in a hospital, such as cardiology
Chief of Staff - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Also known as the medical director; A physician who
supervises the medical staff in a hospital
Community Hospital - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A nonfederal (i.e. Veteran Affairs and military
hospitals are excluded) short-term, general or specialized hospital whose services are available
to the public
Conditions of Participation - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Standards developed by the Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS) that a facility must comply with in order to participate in the
Medicare and Medicaid programs
Credentials Committee - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A committee that reviews the qualifications of
clinicians so as to decide whether those clinicians should have admitting privileges
Critical Access Hospital (CAH) - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Medicare designation for small rural
hospitals with 25 beds or fewer that provide emergency medical services in addition to
shortterm hospitalization for patients with noncomplex health care needs. CAHs receive cost-
plus reimbursement
Days of Care - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Cumulative number of patient days over a given period of
time
Deemed Status - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A designation used when a hospital, by virtue of its
accreditation by the Joint Commission or the American Osteopathic Association, does not
require separate certification from the DHHS to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid
programs
2|Page
,Discharge - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A patient who has received inpatient services; The total
number of discharges indicate access to hospital inpatient services as well as the extent of
utilization
Do-Not-Resuscitate Order (DNR) - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Advance directive telling medical
professionals not to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation; Through these orders, patients can
have their wishes known regarding aggressive efforts at resuscitation
Durable Power of Attorney - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A written document that provides a legal
means for a patient to delegate authority to another to act on the patient's behalf, even after
the patient has been incapacitated
Ethics Committee - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Interdisciplinary committees that are responsible for
developing guidelines and standards for ethical decision making in the provision of health care
and for resolving issues related to medical ethics
Executive Committee - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A committee within the governing body that has
monitoring responsibility and authority over the hospital; Usually it receives reports from other
committees, monitors policy implementation, and makes recommendations. The medical staff
also have a separate executive committee that establishes policy and has oversight regarding
medical matters
General Hospital - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A hospital that provides a variety of services, including
general medicine, specialized medicine, general surgery, specialized surgery, and obstetrics, to
meet the general medical needs of the community it serves; Such a facility provides diagnostic,
treatment, and surgical services for patients with a variety of medical conditions
Hospital - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A licensed institution with at least six beds, whose primary
function is to deliver diagnostic and therapeutic patient services for various medical conditions;
A hospital must have an organized physician staff, and it must provide continuous nursing
services under the supervision of registered nurses
3|Page
, Infection Control Committee - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A medical committee that is responsible
for reviewing policies and procedures for minimizing infections in the hospital
Informed Consent - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A fundamental patient right to make an informed
choice regarding medical treatment based on full disclosure of medical information by the
providers
Inpatient - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A term used in conjunction with an overnight stay in a health
care facility, such as a hospital
Inpatient Day - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A night spent in the hospital by a person admitted as an
inpatient; Also called a patient day or a hospital day
Investor-Owned Hospitals - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Also referred to as proprietary hospitals; For-
profit hospitals owned by individual partnerships or corporations
Licensure - CORRECT ANSWER >>>Licensing of a health care facility that an organization must
obtain to operate; Licensure is conferred by each state upon compliance with its standards
Living Will - CORRECT ANSWER >>>A legal document in which a patient puts into writing what
his or her preferences are regarding treatment during terminal illness and the use of
lifesustaining technology; Such a directive instructs a physician to withhold or discontinue
medical treatment when the patient is terminally ill and unable to make decisions
Long-Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs) - CORRECT ANSWER >>>These are a special type of longstay
hospitals described in Section 1886(d)(1)(B)(iv) of the Social Security Act; LTCHs must meet
Medicare's conditions of participation for acute (short-stay) hospitals and must have an average
length of stay greater than 25 days. LTCHs serve patients who have complex medical needs and
may suffer from multiple chronic problems requiring long-term hospitalization
4|Page
