CPHQ Risk Management and Patient Advocacy 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary goal of clinical risk management in a healthcare organization?
- Reduce financial losses only
- Identify, assess, and mitigate risks to patients, staff, and the organization (Correct answer)
- Increase hospital revenue
- Improve staff satisfaction scores
Correct answer: Identify, assess, and mitigate risks to patients, staff, and the organization
Clinical risk management aims to identify, assess, and mitigate risks to protect patients, staff, and the organization from harm and liability.
Question 2: Which tool is most commonly used in healthcare to proactively identify potential failure points before an adverse event occurs?
- Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
- Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) (Correct answer)
- Pareto Chart
- Control Chart
Correct answer: Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
FMEA is a proactive tool used to identify potential failure modes in a process before they result in patient harm.
Question 3: A patient advocate's primary responsibility in a hospital setting is to:
- Manage hospital billing disputes
- Ensure patients understand their rights and facilitate access to care (Correct answer)
- Supervise nursing staff
- Conduct credentialing reviews
Correct answer: Ensure patients understand their rights and facilitate access to care
Patient advocates ensure patients are informed of their rights and help facilitate access to appropriate care and services.
Question 4: Under the CMS Conditions of Participation, hospitals must inform patients of their rights:
- Only at discharge
- Only if the patient requests
- Prior to or at the time of admission (Correct answer)
- Within 72 hours of admission
Correct answer: Prior to or at the time of admission
CMS requires hospitals to notify patients of their rights prior to or at the time of admission to ensure informed participation in care.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes a 'near miss' in healthcare risk management?
- An event that caused patient harm
- An event that reached the patient but caused no harm
- An unsafe condition that did not reach the patient (Correct answer)
- A sentinel event requiring RCA
Correct answer: An unsafe condition that did not reach the patient
A near miss is an unsafe condition or event that had the potential to cause harm but did not reach the patient.
Question 6: The Joint Commission's Sentinel Event policy requires organizations to perform a root cause analysis within:
- 30 days
- 45 days
- 60 days (Correct answer)
- 90 days
Correct answer: 60 days
The Joint Commission requires that a root cause analysis and action plan be completed within 45 calendar days of a sentinel event.
CPHQ Risk Management and Patient Advocacy 1
What is the primary goal of clinical risk management in a healthcare organization?