CPHQ Trivia 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The 'Swiss Cheese Model' of accident causation in healthcare was developed by which theorist?
- W. Edwards Deming
- James Reason (Correct answer)
- Avedis Donabedian
- Charles Vincent
Correct answer: James Reason
James Reason developed the Swiss Cheese Model, which illustrates how multiple system failures align to allow errors to reach patients.
Question 2: Which measure type evaluates whether a healthcare process is performed according to evidence-based guidelines?
- Outcome measure
- Structural measure
- Process measure (Correct answer)
- Balancing measure
Correct answer: Process measure
Process measures assess whether specific evidence-based steps in care delivery are being performed correctly.
Question 3: In healthcare quality, 'reliability' refers to which concept?
- The accuracy of diagnostic tests and lab results
- Consistently performing the right care every time for every patient (Correct answer)
- Staff dependability in showing up for scheduled shifts
- Financial stability of the healthcare organization
Correct answer: Consistently performing the right care every time for every patient
Reliability in quality means delivering evidence-based care consistently to every patient every time, reducing variation.
Question 4: What does 'benchmarking' involve in a healthcare quality context?
- Setting internal performance goals without external reference
- Comparing performance against best practices or high-performing peers (Correct answer)
- Auditing financial records against regulatory thresholds
- Testing new clinical equipment before purchase
Correct answer: Comparing performance against best practices or high-performing peers
Benchmarking compares an organization's performance data to external best practices or peer organizations to identify gaps.
Question 5: Under the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP), CMS penalizes hospitals for excessive readmissions within how many days of discharge?
- 14 days
- 30 days (Correct answer)
- 60 days
- 90 days
Correct answer: 30 days
The HRRP penalizes hospitals with excess readmissions within 30 days for certain conditions like heart failure and pneumonia.
Question 6: The CPHQ exam content is organized into which two main domain categories?
- Clinical Quality and Administrative Quality
- Management and Leadership, and Patient Safety and Quality Improvement (Correct answer)
- Data Analytics and Regulatory Compliance
- Accreditation Standards and Performance Measurement
Correct answer: Management and Leadership, and Patient Safety and Quality Improvement
The CPHQ exam covers two broad domains: Management and Leadership, and Patient Safety and Quality Improvement.
Question 7: Which concept describes the unintended negative consequences that may result from a quality improvement intervention?
- Adverse outcome measures
- Balancing measures (Correct answer)
- Sentinel indicators
- Compensatory defects
Correct answer: Balancing measures
Balancing measures capture unintended consequences — improvements in one area that inadvertently worsen another.
CPHQ Trivia 4
The 'Swiss Cheese Model' of accident causation in healthcare was developed by which theorist?