CMM Patient Safety & Risk Management Flashcards

Which element is MOST critical when conducting a healthcare risk assessment?

Answer: Identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing risks based on likelihood and impact

A thorough risk assessment systematically identifies risks, analyzes their probability and severity, and prioritizes them for targeted mitigation.

Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), hospitals with emergency departments MUST:

Answer: Screen and stabilize any patient presenting to the ED regardless of ability to pay

EMTALA requires hospitals to provide a medical screening examination and necessary stabilizing treatment to all ED patients regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

A medical manager reviewing incident reports notices a cluster of medication errors on the night shift. The BEST response is to:

Answer: Conduct a process review of night-shift medication administration workflows

A cluster of errors on a specific shift suggests a systemic workflow or environmental issue that requires process-level investigation rather than individual blame.

Credentialing and privileging of medical staff is PRIMARILY intended to:

Answer: Verify that practitioners are competent and qualified to perform specific clinical services

Credentialing verifies a practitioner's qualifications, training, and licensure, while privileging authorizes specific clinical activities they are competent to perform.

Which accreditation standard requires hospitals to maintain a complete and accurate medical record for every patient?

Answer: The Joint Commission Record of Care standards

The Joint Commission's Record of Care (RC) standards mandate that hospitals maintain complete, accurate, and timely medical records for every patient encounter.

A medical manager implementing a 'time-out' procedure before surgical procedures is addressing which patient safety goal?

Answer: Preventing wrong-site, wrong-procedure, and wrong-patient errors

The Universal Protocol, including a pre-procedure time-out, is specifically designed to prevent wrong-site, wrong-procedure, and wrong-patient surgical errors.