CPHQ PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
A healthcare quality management professional has all of the following responsibilities
toward improving patient safety EXCEPT:
1) Appointing a supervisor for a patient safety program
2) Incorporating new technology into a patient safety program
3) Helping to develop a patient safety program
4) Setting and reviewing goals for a patient safety program - Answers - 1) Appointing a
supervisor for a patient safety program
In terms of improving patient safety, the healthcare quality management professional's
responsibilities include the following:
- helping to develop a patient safety program
- incorporating new technology into a patient safety program
- setting and reviewing goals for a patient safety program.
The healthcare quality management professional's responsibilities do not necessarily
include the responsibility of appointing a supervisor for a patient safety program. That
particular task will likely fall to others within hospital administration.
Which of the following types of charts is best for determining cause and effect?
1) Pareto
2) Run
3) Fishbone
4) Control - Answers - 3) Fishbone
A fishbone chart is most useful for helping to determine cause and effect.
A control chart is useful for seeing the changes in a process; this would include effects
but not necessarily causes.
A run chart is most useful for viewing data over a time sequence.
A Pareto chart uses two types of charting techniques to determine statistical
information, but it is not necessarily useful for determining cause and effect.
A hospital needs to decide whether or not to incorporate a new feature into its current
services, and as a result has commissioned qualitative research that will provide
detailed feedback. Specifically, the hospital would like to collect opinions from patients
,and other hospital customers with a wide range of experience and backgrounds. Which
of the following types of assessments is most likely to be of use to the hospital?
1) Case Study
2) Focus Group
3) Team analysis
4) survey - Answers - 2) The focus group will be most useful in providing the hospital
with a broad range of opinions, as well as detailed feedback.
The survey would limit answers to those available among the answer choice options, so
this would not necessarily guarantee detailed feedback.
The team analysis would largely remove patient and customer opinion from the
decision.
The case study would isolate findings to a single scenario and would fail to offer broad
findings and detailed feedback.
The process of risk management for the healthcare quality management professional
includes all of the following EXCEPT:
1) reporting of incidents
2) identification of risk
3) prevention of risk
4) analysis of effects - Answers - 1) reporting of incidents
The healthcare quality management professional is responsible for the following, in
terms of risk management: - - identifying the risk
- analyzing the effects of the risk
- preventing the risk.
These responsibilities do not necessarily include the responsibility of reporting an
incident of risk; that may or may not apply, depending on the source of the risk. (It
should be noted, however, that the healthcare quality management professional is
responsible for reviewing the incident report about the risk; of course, this is not the
same as actually reporting an incident of risk.)
A review of supplies determined that a clinic is running low on several items essential
for operation. With recent budget cuts, the clinic has to review costs carefully to find the
best price for each item. What is the healthcare quality management professional's role
in this?
1) Assist in developing a list of suppliers, by cost, for each item
2) Oversee the purchase of each item to ensure cost management
3) Determine which items need to be purchased from which supplier
,4) Delegate the purchasing of each item to the appropriate department - Answers - 1)
Assist in developing a list of suppliers, by cost, for each item
The responsibilities do not include overseeing the actual purchase (as this is the
responsibility of the purchasing department)
Determining the specific items (as this falls to individual departments), or delegating the
purchasing of each item to the appropriate department (as most large purchases would
be grouped under the responsibility of the purchasing department).
A hospital has implemented a quality program to improve the overall quality of patient
care. It is discovered, however, that the program is running over budget, so the hospital
administrative board conducts a review of the program to see if it should continue. What
is the healthcare quality management professional's role in this?
1) Create a committee to review the quality program and develop a list of reasons to
keep it
2) Assist the administrative board in making a final decision about the quality program
3) Evaluate the financial benefits of the program and demonstrate these to the board
4) Prove to the administrative board that the quality program should continue in the
hospital - Answers - 3) Evaluate the financial benefits of the program and demonstrate
these to the board
The healthcare quality management professional is not obligated to prove to the board
that the quality program should continue.
He also is unlikely to assist the board in making a final decision or creating a committee
to review the program.
the role is limited to one of evaluating the financial benefits and demonstrating them as
objectively as possible.
A hospital has found that the performance of one of its departments is consistently
below the expected standards. The hospital administration wants to locate the source of
the problems and see improvement in the department within six months. What is the
healthcare quality management professional's role in this?
1) Review the expected standards and submit these to the department for immediate
application
2) Research the problems and develop a program that applies current standards to the
department
3) Recommend that the hospital replace the current administration of the individual
department
, 4) Advise that a performance improvement team be assembled to review and address
the failings - Answers - 4) Advise that a performance improvement team be assembled
to review and address the failings
The healthcare quality management professional might be involved in researching the
problems, but the development of a program that applies the standards to the
department would exceed his responsibilities.
He would certainly not be expected to advise the hospital to replace the current
administration of the department; this would be the role of a larger group (such as a
performance improvement team) that takes the time to review the situation.
Also, he would need to do far more than simply submit the expected standards to the
department for application since they are already failing them
The administration of a hospital has discovered that a lack of communication among
different hospital departments has led to overspending and unnecessary errors in
patient care. The administration has asked the healthcare quality management
professional to assemble a team that can improve department communication and
address the problems. What type of team would be most useful for this task?
1) cross functional
2) work group
3) quality circle
4) self-directed - Answers - 1) cross functional
The key here is the need for a team that can find ways to improve communication
among the different departments. This type of team would need to be cross functional,
because it would be composed of people from the different departments who would
then be delegated to communicate with one another and pass on the communication to
others in their respective departments. The other types of teams - work group, quality
circle, and self-directed - all have their place in professional improvement, but a cross-
functional team would be best in this situation.
A clinic is looking into adding a new computer software program to update an outdated
program. The new computer system will keep better track of patient records and will
enable the clinic to streamline the care that patients receive. What is the healthcare
quality management professional's role in this?
1) Research the history of the software to see how it has impacted other clinics
2) Create a simulation for the software to allow the clinic to see how it operates day to
day
3) Assist the clinic in evaluating the pros and cons of the software
A healthcare quality management professional has all of the following responsibilities
toward improving patient safety EXCEPT:
1) Appointing a supervisor for a patient safety program
2) Incorporating new technology into a patient safety program
3) Helping to develop a patient safety program
4) Setting and reviewing goals for a patient safety program - Answers - 1) Appointing a
supervisor for a patient safety program
In terms of improving patient safety, the healthcare quality management professional's
responsibilities include the following:
- helping to develop a patient safety program
- incorporating new technology into a patient safety program
- setting and reviewing goals for a patient safety program.
The healthcare quality management professional's responsibilities do not necessarily
include the responsibility of appointing a supervisor for a patient safety program. That
particular task will likely fall to others within hospital administration.
Which of the following types of charts is best for determining cause and effect?
1) Pareto
2) Run
3) Fishbone
4) Control - Answers - 3) Fishbone
A fishbone chart is most useful for helping to determine cause and effect.
A control chart is useful for seeing the changes in a process; this would include effects
but not necessarily causes.
A run chart is most useful for viewing data over a time sequence.
A Pareto chart uses two types of charting techniques to determine statistical
information, but it is not necessarily useful for determining cause and effect.
A hospital needs to decide whether or not to incorporate a new feature into its current
services, and as a result has commissioned qualitative research that will provide
detailed feedback. Specifically, the hospital would like to collect opinions from patients
,and other hospital customers with a wide range of experience and backgrounds. Which
of the following types of assessments is most likely to be of use to the hospital?
1) Case Study
2) Focus Group
3) Team analysis
4) survey - Answers - 2) The focus group will be most useful in providing the hospital
with a broad range of opinions, as well as detailed feedback.
The survey would limit answers to those available among the answer choice options, so
this would not necessarily guarantee detailed feedback.
The team analysis would largely remove patient and customer opinion from the
decision.
The case study would isolate findings to a single scenario and would fail to offer broad
findings and detailed feedback.
The process of risk management for the healthcare quality management professional
includes all of the following EXCEPT:
1) reporting of incidents
2) identification of risk
3) prevention of risk
4) analysis of effects - Answers - 1) reporting of incidents
The healthcare quality management professional is responsible for the following, in
terms of risk management: - - identifying the risk
- analyzing the effects of the risk
- preventing the risk.
These responsibilities do not necessarily include the responsibility of reporting an
incident of risk; that may or may not apply, depending on the source of the risk. (It
should be noted, however, that the healthcare quality management professional is
responsible for reviewing the incident report about the risk; of course, this is not the
same as actually reporting an incident of risk.)
A review of supplies determined that a clinic is running low on several items essential
for operation. With recent budget cuts, the clinic has to review costs carefully to find the
best price for each item. What is the healthcare quality management professional's role
in this?
1) Assist in developing a list of suppliers, by cost, for each item
2) Oversee the purchase of each item to ensure cost management
3) Determine which items need to be purchased from which supplier
,4) Delegate the purchasing of each item to the appropriate department - Answers - 1)
Assist in developing a list of suppliers, by cost, for each item
The responsibilities do not include overseeing the actual purchase (as this is the
responsibility of the purchasing department)
Determining the specific items (as this falls to individual departments), or delegating the
purchasing of each item to the appropriate department (as most large purchases would
be grouped under the responsibility of the purchasing department).
A hospital has implemented a quality program to improve the overall quality of patient
care. It is discovered, however, that the program is running over budget, so the hospital
administrative board conducts a review of the program to see if it should continue. What
is the healthcare quality management professional's role in this?
1) Create a committee to review the quality program and develop a list of reasons to
keep it
2) Assist the administrative board in making a final decision about the quality program
3) Evaluate the financial benefits of the program and demonstrate these to the board
4) Prove to the administrative board that the quality program should continue in the
hospital - Answers - 3) Evaluate the financial benefits of the program and demonstrate
these to the board
The healthcare quality management professional is not obligated to prove to the board
that the quality program should continue.
He also is unlikely to assist the board in making a final decision or creating a committee
to review the program.
the role is limited to one of evaluating the financial benefits and demonstrating them as
objectively as possible.
A hospital has found that the performance of one of its departments is consistently
below the expected standards. The hospital administration wants to locate the source of
the problems and see improvement in the department within six months. What is the
healthcare quality management professional's role in this?
1) Review the expected standards and submit these to the department for immediate
application
2) Research the problems and develop a program that applies current standards to the
department
3) Recommend that the hospital replace the current administration of the individual
department
, 4) Advise that a performance improvement team be assembled to review and address
the failings - Answers - 4) Advise that a performance improvement team be assembled
to review and address the failings
The healthcare quality management professional might be involved in researching the
problems, but the development of a program that applies the standards to the
department would exceed his responsibilities.
He would certainly not be expected to advise the hospital to replace the current
administration of the department; this would be the role of a larger group (such as a
performance improvement team) that takes the time to review the situation.
Also, he would need to do far more than simply submit the expected standards to the
department for application since they are already failing them
The administration of a hospital has discovered that a lack of communication among
different hospital departments has led to overspending and unnecessary errors in
patient care. The administration has asked the healthcare quality management
professional to assemble a team that can improve department communication and
address the problems. What type of team would be most useful for this task?
1) cross functional
2) work group
3) quality circle
4) self-directed - Answers - 1) cross functional
The key here is the need for a team that can find ways to improve communication
among the different departments. This type of team would need to be cross functional,
because it would be composed of people from the different departments who would
then be delegated to communicate with one another and pass on the communication to
others in their respective departments. The other types of teams - work group, quality
circle, and self-directed - all have their place in professional improvement, but a cross-
functional team would be best in this situation.
A clinic is looking into adding a new computer software program to update an outdated
program. The new computer system will keep better track of patient records and will
enable the clinic to streamline the care that patients receive. What is the healthcare
quality management professional's role in this?
1) Research the history of the software to see how it has impacted other clinics
2) Create a simulation for the software to allow the clinic to see how it operates day to
day
3) Assist the clinic in evaluating the pros and cons of the software
