Quality Assurance & Improvement Flashcards
7 cards from real ACC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Quality Assurance & Improvement flashcards as text
Which federal regulation establishes quality-of-life requirements for activity programs in skilled nursing facilities?
Answer: OBRA 1987 (F679/F680)
OBRA 1987, implemented through F-tags F679 and F680, mandates that SNFs provide an ongoing activities program to meet residents' interests and physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being.
During a QAPI root cause analysis meeting, the team discovers activity participation rates dropped 18% over three months. What is the BEST next step?
Answer: Identify and analyze contributing factors before implementing changes
Root cause analysis requires identifying contributing factors first so that interventions address the actual cause rather than symptoms.
An activity consultant uses the '5 Whys' technique during a performance improvement project. This tool is best categorized as a:
Answer: Root cause analysis method
The '5 Whys' is a root cause analysis technique that repeatedly asks 'why' to drill down from a problem's symptom to its underlying cause.
A facility's QAPI committee wants to measure activity program effectiveness. Which metric BEST reflects meaningful resident engagement?
Answer: Percentage of residents attending at least one activity daily
Daily attendance percentage directly measures whether residents are engaging meaningfully with programming rather than just measuring program quantity.
When writing a Plan of Correction (POC) for an activity-related deficiency, which element is REQUIRED?
Answer: Specific corrective actions, responsible parties, and completion dates
A valid POC must include specific corrective actions, who is responsible for each action, and target completion dates to demonstrate accountability.
The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle is used in activity departments primarily to:
Answer: Test and refine small-scale quality improvements before full implementation
PDSA cycles allow teams to pilot changes on a small scale, measure results, and adjust before committing to facility-wide implementation.
A resident consistently refuses group activities but her care plan does not reflect an individualized alternative. This represents a deficiency in which area?
Answer: Individualized activity programming and care planning
CMS requires that activity programs be individualized; when a resident refuses groups, the care plan must document alternative one-to-one or bedside programming.