Epic Skills Assessment System & Workflow Analysis 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a workflow analysis session, a clinical informatics analyst discovers that nurses are documenting the same data in two separate Epic flowsheets. What is the BEST first step to resolve this redundancy?
- Delete one of the flowsheets immediately
- Conduct a root-cause analysis to determine why duplicate documentation exists before making changes (Correct answer)
- Merge both flowsheets into a single template without stakeholder input
- Submit a help desk ticket and take no further action
Correct answer: Conduct a root-cause analysis to determine why duplicate documentation exists before making changes
Root-cause analysis ensures you understand the clinical or workflow reason for duplication before any changes are made, preventing unintended consequences.
Question 2: A swim-lane diagram is most useful in Epic workflow analysis for which purpose?
- Documenting system downtime incidents
- Showing which role or department is responsible for each step in a cross-functional process (Correct answer)
- Tracking individual user login times
- Mapping database table relationships
Correct answer: Showing which role or department is responsible for each step in a cross-functional process
Swim-lane diagrams visually separate responsibilities by role or department, making handoffs and ownership clear in cross-functional workflows.
Question 3: An analyst is performing a gap analysis comparing a hospital's current Epic build to a newly defined future-state workflow. What does a 'gap' represent in this context?
- A scheduled downtime window in Epic
- A difference between the current system configuration and what is needed to support the desired workflow (Correct answer)
- A missing user license in the system
- An unfilled job position on the implementation team
Correct answer: A difference between the current system configuration and what is needed to support the desired workflow
A gap is the delta between the current state and the future-state requirement, identifying what must be built, changed, or retired.
Question 4: Which technique is MOST effective for validating that a redesigned Epic workflow will work as intended before go-live?
- Reviewing the design document one final time
- Conducting integrated end-to-end testing with actual end users in a test environment (Correct answer)
- Asking the project manager to approve the workflow diagram
- Deploying directly to production and monitoring for errors
Correct answer: Conducting integrated end-to-end testing with actual end users in a test environment
End-to-end testing with real users in a test environment reveals usability issues and configuration errors before they impact patients or staff.
Question 5: When mapping an Epic order-entry workflow, an analyst notices that physicians must click through seven screens to place a routine lab order. This finding is BEST classified as:
- A security compliance violation
- A workflow inefficiency that should be documented as an improvement opportunity (Correct answer)
- An Epic system bug requiring a patch
- An acceptable standard for all EHR systems
Correct answer: A workflow inefficiency that should be documented as an improvement opportunity
Excessive clicks are a workflow inefficiency and a valid improvement opportunity that can be addressed through order sets, SmartLists, or configuration changes.
Question 6: A healthcare organization wants to standardize medication reconciliation workflows across all inpatient units. Which Epic tool is MOST directly used to enforce workflow consistency for this process?
- Reporting Workbench filters
- BestPractice Advisories (BPAs) and standardized order sets (Correct answer)
- MyChart patient messaging templates
- Tapestry claim edits
Correct answer: BestPractice Advisories (BPAs) and standardized order sets
BestPractice Advisories prompt clinicians at workflow decision points, and standardized order sets ensure consistent medication reconciliation steps across units.
Question 7: During a workflow observation, an analyst notes that staff regularly bypass a required Epic field by entering placeholder text such as 'N/A.' What does this workaround MOST likely indicate?
- The staff lacks basic Epic training
- The required field may not be clinically relevant to all workflows that encounter it, signaling a build configuration problem (Correct answer)
- Epic has a software defect that should be reported to the vendor
- The field is optional and staff preference is acceptable
Correct answer: The required field may not be clinically relevant to all workflows that encounter it, signaling a build configuration problem
Consistent workarounds signal a misalignment between the system configuration and the clinical workflow, and should trigger a build review rather than retraining alone.
Epic Skills Assessment System & Workflow Analysis 2
During a workflow analysis session, a clinical informatics analyst discovers that nurses are documenting the same data in two separate Epic flowsheets.
What is the BEST first step to resolve this redundancy?