Performance and Process Improvement Flashcards
7 cards from real CPHQ practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Performance and Process Improvement flashcards as text
A hospital's readmission rate is 18%, and the national benchmark is 12%. After implementing a discharge coaching program, the rate drops to 14%. This improvement is BEST described as:
Answer: Closing the performance gap
Closing the performance gap refers to reducing the difference between current performance and the benchmark, even if the benchmark has not yet been fully reached.
Which component of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Model for Improvement asks teams to identify what change they will make?
Answer: What change can we make that will result in improvement?
The IHI Model for Improvement's third fundamental question focuses on identifying specific changes that are likely to lead to improvement.
In Lean methodology, a 'value stream map' is used to:
Answer: Visualize all steps in a process and identify non-value-added activities
A value stream map depicts every step in a process flow, distinguishing value-added from non-value-added (waste) activities to target improvement opportunities.
A quality team discovers that a medication error reporting process has a defect rate of 3.4 per million opportunities. This performance level corresponds to:
Answer: Six Sigma
Six Sigma performance is defined as 3.4 defects per million opportunities, representing near-perfect process capability.
A fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram is PRIMARILY used to:
Answer: Identify and categorize potential causes of a problem
A fishbone diagram organizes potential causes of a problem into categories (e.g., people, process, equipment) to facilitate comprehensive root cause analysis.
When conducting a rapid cycle improvement, a team should test changes on a small scale FIRST because:
Answer: Small-scale tests minimize risk and allow learning before broader rollout
Small-scale testing (as in PDSA cycles) reduces risk, enables learning from failures cheaply, and provides evidence before committing resources to full implementation.
Which of the following is an example of a 'leading indicator' in a healthcare quality improvement initiative?
Answer: Hand hygiene compliance rate during rounds
Hand hygiene compliance is a leading indicator because it predicts future infection outcomes, whereas readmission and mortality rates are lagging indicators that reflect past performance.