CPHQ Certification Exam Questions
with Answers
How translate strategic goals into quality outcomes? - Answer-Aligning improvement
activities with strategic goals
Establishing goals beyond benchmarks
Developing and implementing dashboards and scorecards
Communicating the goals
Identifying and engaging key stakeholders
4 factors that affect speed of change for High Performing Organizations - Answer-
Leadership, culture, structure, techniques
5 practices leaders use to keep systems aligned - Answer-Inspire a shared vision,
challenge the system, enable others to act, model the way, encourage the heart
Prioritization Matrix - Answer-Organizes tasks, issues or actions and prioritizes based
on agreed upon criteria. Combines the tree diagram and the L shaped matrix diagram
which displays the best possible effect
Lean Enterprise method - Answer-Identifying value, Eliminating waste, establishing flow,
enabling pull systems, pursuing perfection. and increases financial stability. Preferred
over reengineering
Balanced Scorecard (BSC) - Answer-A performance measurement and management
methodology that helps translate an organization's financial, customer, internal process,
and learning and growth objectives and targets into a set of actionable initiatives
Norton and Kaplan
Comprehensive view and not dependent on a few choice indicators
Better links long term strategy with short term activities
How to have a successful transformation with Change Management - Answer-
Leadership (70 to 90%): defines what the future should like like, aligns people with the
vision and inspires them to make it happen despite obstacles
Management (10 to 30%): involves a set of processes that can keep a complex system
of people and technology running smoothly
True or False - Answer-All changes do not lead to improvement, but all improvement
requires change.
,2 factors to assess change in organizations - Answer-1. The limits of human
performance in being able to respond to change
2. The actual capacity of the systems to handle change
Lewin's Change Model - Answer-unfreeze, change, refreeze
Motivation and readiness for change must occur before the change can take place
Force field of driving and restraining forces
Driving forces must be stronger than restraining forces. Reduce # of restraining rather
than add more driving forces to increase change of success
Adding powerful drivers does not necessarily make change happen faster.
Tool: Force field analysis
Triple Aim - Answer-1. Ensure quality of care for individual
2 Improve health of the population
3. Control costs
Critical components of a leadership team - Answer-Understand the concepts of
organizations as complex systems, culture, strategic planning, change, innovation and
creativity
IOM definition of healthcare quality - Answer-The degree to which health services for
individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are
consistent with current professional knowledge
Quality Management definition - Answer-A strategic, integrated management system,
which involves all managers and employees and uses quantitative methods to
continuously improve an organization's processes to meet and exceed customer needs,
wants and expectations
IOMs 6 aims for healthcare improvement - Answer-Safety
Effectiveness (avoid overuse and underuse)
Patient-centeredness - ensure patient values guide all clinical decisions
Timeliness - reduce waits and sometimes harmful delays
Efficiency - avoiding waste
Equity - providing care that does not vary in quality with respect to personal
characterisitics, ethnicity, geographic location or socioeconomic status
system definition - Answer-A regularly interacting or independent group of items forming
a unified whole
,Benefits of system thinking - Answer-Aiding in identifying and understanding the big
picture
Facilitating the identification of major components
Identifying important relationships and providing proper perspective
Avoiding excessive attention to a single part
Allowing for a broad-scope solution
Fostering integration
Providing a basis for redesign
Healthcare organizations are ... - Answer-Complex Adaptive Systems (CASs)
Making change in one process or dept naturally requires changes in other processes,
functions and depts. Effectiveness is dependent on alignment of parts of the system.
InterRelationships (between individuals is a critical component of the model)
Not linear
Characteristics of leaders in CASs - Answer-Value persons and relationships
Use loose coupling
Complicate or link
Diversify
Make sense
Think about the future
Are collaborative
Listen and learn
Are adaptable
Offer alternatives
Characteristics of Leaders in CASs - Answer-Value persons and relationships
Use loose coupling
Complicate or link
Diversify
Make sense
Think about the future
Are collaborative
Listen and learn
Are adaptable
Offer alternatives
, Characteristics of Leaders in traditional systems - Answer-Value positions
Use tight structuring
Simplify
Socialize
Make decisions
Do planning based on forecasting
Are controlling, in charge
Know
Are self-preserving
Repeat the past
True or False
The HCQP assists organization leaders and employees in understanding the principles
and common frameworks for healthcare quality strategies. - Answer-True
Which evidence based framework model for studying systems is best? - Answer-
Donabedian
Baldrige Performance Excellence
Any, as long as the manager uses it to properly recognize, understand and anticipate
how the parts of the system interact as a whole
Who is the founder of the quality assurance field and the first to describe an approach to
assessing quality through a systems framework? - Answer-Avedis Donabedian
Donabedian's framework - Answer-Focus on structures (resources available for care
delivery) processes (involves the care, how diagnoses and treated) and outcomes
(results of the care, increased satisfaction, decreased morbidity, improved QOL) for
patient care evaluation
Limitations of the Donabedian framework - Answer-Very basic and does not sufficiently
describe interrelationships
What is a required component of quality performance? - Answer-Interrelationships
Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework - Answer-Displays principles of quality
management and shows interrelationships among factors relating to structure, process
and outcome
6 elements of Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework - Answer-Important
connection between Leadership and Results
Leadership triad: leadership, strategic planning and customer focus
Results triad: results, workforce focus and operations focus
with Answers
How translate strategic goals into quality outcomes? - Answer-Aligning improvement
activities with strategic goals
Establishing goals beyond benchmarks
Developing and implementing dashboards and scorecards
Communicating the goals
Identifying and engaging key stakeholders
4 factors that affect speed of change for High Performing Organizations - Answer-
Leadership, culture, structure, techniques
5 practices leaders use to keep systems aligned - Answer-Inspire a shared vision,
challenge the system, enable others to act, model the way, encourage the heart
Prioritization Matrix - Answer-Organizes tasks, issues or actions and prioritizes based
on agreed upon criteria. Combines the tree diagram and the L shaped matrix diagram
which displays the best possible effect
Lean Enterprise method - Answer-Identifying value, Eliminating waste, establishing flow,
enabling pull systems, pursuing perfection. and increases financial stability. Preferred
over reengineering
Balanced Scorecard (BSC) - Answer-A performance measurement and management
methodology that helps translate an organization's financial, customer, internal process,
and learning and growth objectives and targets into a set of actionable initiatives
Norton and Kaplan
Comprehensive view and not dependent on a few choice indicators
Better links long term strategy with short term activities
How to have a successful transformation with Change Management - Answer-
Leadership (70 to 90%): defines what the future should like like, aligns people with the
vision and inspires them to make it happen despite obstacles
Management (10 to 30%): involves a set of processes that can keep a complex system
of people and technology running smoothly
True or False - Answer-All changes do not lead to improvement, but all improvement
requires change.
,2 factors to assess change in organizations - Answer-1. The limits of human
performance in being able to respond to change
2. The actual capacity of the systems to handle change
Lewin's Change Model - Answer-unfreeze, change, refreeze
Motivation and readiness for change must occur before the change can take place
Force field of driving and restraining forces
Driving forces must be stronger than restraining forces. Reduce # of restraining rather
than add more driving forces to increase change of success
Adding powerful drivers does not necessarily make change happen faster.
Tool: Force field analysis
Triple Aim - Answer-1. Ensure quality of care for individual
2 Improve health of the population
3. Control costs
Critical components of a leadership team - Answer-Understand the concepts of
organizations as complex systems, culture, strategic planning, change, innovation and
creativity
IOM definition of healthcare quality - Answer-The degree to which health services for
individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are
consistent with current professional knowledge
Quality Management definition - Answer-A strategic, integrated management system,
which involves all managers and employees and uses quantitative methods to
continuously improve an organization's processes to meet and exceed customer needs,
wants and expectations
IOMs 6 aims for healthcare improvement - Answer-Safety
Effectiveness (avoid overuse and underuse)
Patient-centeredness - ensure patient values guide all clinical decisions
Timeliness - reduce waits and sometimes harmful delays
Efficiency - avoiding waste
Equity - providing care that does not vary in quality with respect to personal
characterisitics, ethnicity, geographic location or socioeconomic status
system definition - Answer-A regularly interacting or independent group of items forming
a unified whole
,Benefits of system thinking - Answer-Aiding in identifying and understanding the big
picture
Facilitating the identification of major components
Identifying important relationships and providing proper perspective
Avoiding excessive attention to a single part
Allowing for a broad-scope solution
Fostering integration
Providing a basis for redesign
Healthcare organizations are ... - Answer-Complex Adaptive Systems (CASs)
Making change in one process or dept naturally requires changes in other processes,
functions and depts. Effectiveness is dependent on alignment of parts of the system.
InterRelationships (between individuals is a critical component of the model)
Not linear
Characteristics of leaders in CASs - Answer-Value persons and relationships
Use loose coupling
Complicate or link
Diversify
Make sense
Think about the future
Are collaborative
Listen and learn
Are adaptable
Offer alternatives
Characteristics of Leaders in CASs - Answer-Value persons and relationships
Use loose coupling
Complicate or link
Diversify
Make sense
Think about the future
Are collaborative
Listen and learn
Are adaptable
Offer alternatives
, Characteristics of Leaders in traditional systems - Answer-Value positions
Use tight structuring
Simplify
Socialize
Make decisions
Do planning based on forecasting
Are controlling, in charge
Know
Are self-preserving
Repeat the past
True or False
The HCQP assists organization leaders and employees in understanding the principles
and common frameworks for healthcare quality strategies. - Answer-True
Which evidence based framework model for studying systems is best? - Answer-
Donabedian
Baldrige Performance Excellence
Any, as long as the manager uses it to properly recognize, understand and anticipate
how the parts of the system interact as a whole
Who is the founder of the quality assurance field and the first to describe an approach to
assessing quality through a systems framework? - Answer-Avedis Donabedian
Donabedian's framework - Answer-Focus on structures (resources available for care
delivery) processes (involves the care, how diagnoses and treated) and outcomes
(results of the care, increased satisfaction, decreased morbidity, improved QOL) for
patient care evaluation
Limitations of the Donabedian framework - Answer-Very basic and does not sufficiently
describe interrelationships
What is a required component of quality performance? - Answer-Interrelationships
Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework - Answer-Displays principles of quality
management and shows interrelationships among factors relating to structure, process
and outcome
6 elements of Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework - Answer-Important
connection between Leadership and Results
Leadership triad: leadership, strategic planning and customer focus
Results triad: results, workforce focus and operations focus
