CPHIMS CPHIMS Leadership and Strategic Planning 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which leadership competency is MOST critical when a health IT leader must influence clinical staff who do not report to them?
- Informal influence and relationship-building (Correct answer)
- Positional authority
- Budget control
- Technical expertise alone
Correct answer: Informal influence and relationship-building
Informal influence through credibility, trust, and relationship-building is essential when formal authority does not extend across clinical departments.
Question 2: A health system's strategic plan identifies patient engagement as a top priority. Which IT initiative BEST supports this goal?
- Patient portal with secure messaging and health record access (Correct answer)
- Internal staff scheduling system upgrade
- Legacy data archival project
- Network bandwidth expansion
Correct answer: Patient portal with secure messaging and health record access
A patient portal directly enables patient engagement by giving individuals access to their health information and communication tools.
Question 3: When managing vendor relationships strategically, which practice ensures long-term value alignment?
- Regular performance reviews tied to SLA metrics and strategic goals (Correct answer)
- Selecting vendors solely on lowest bid
- Avoiding multi-year contracts
- Delegating all vendor management to procurement
Correct answer: Regular performance reviews tied to SLA metrics and strategic goals
Regular SLA-based performance reviews ensure vendors deliver ongoing value aligned with organizational strategy, not just contractual minimums.
Question 4: A new CMIO and CIO have conflicting visions for the EHR optimization roadmap. What is the MOST effective resolution strategy?
- Co-develop a unified roadmap prioritized by patient care and operational outcomes (Correct answer)
- Allow each leader to implement their preferred approach separately
- Escalate to the board immediately
- Delay all EHR work until agreement is reached
Correct answer: Co-develop a unified roadmap prioritized by patient care and operational outcomes
Co-developing a unified roadmap grounded in shared organizational outcomes resolves leadership conflict while maintaining strategic coherence.
Question 5: Which document formally authorizes a health IT project and names the project manager?
- Project charter (Correct answer)
- Business case
- Statement of work
- Project management plan
Correct answer: Project charter
The project charter officially authorizes the project to proceed and identifies the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources.
Question 6: A health IT leader is presenting a digital transformation strategy to the board. What should be the PRIMARY focus of the presentation?
- How technology investments drive clinical outcomes and competitive advantage (Correct answer)
- Detailed system architecture and vendor comparison matrices
- IT staffing org chart and role descriptions
- Hardware refresh cycle timelines
Correct answer: How technology investments drive clinical outcomes and competitive advantage
Board presentations must connect technology strategy to clinical outcomes and competitive positioning to secure executive-level understanding and support.
Question 7: Which approach to IT portfolio management BEST balances innovation with operational stability in healthcare?
- Maintaining a mix of run-the-business, grow-the-business, and transform-the-business investments (Correct answer)
- Focusing exclusively on transformational projects
- Investing only in maintenance of existing systems
- Prioritizing lowest-cost projects regardless of strategic value
Correct answer: Maintaining a mix of run-the-business, grow-the-business, and transform-the-business investments
A three-horizon portfolio approach balances keeping current systems operational while funding growth and transformational initiatives.
CPHIMS CPHIMS Leadership and Strategic Planning 5
Which leadership competency is MOST critical when a health IT leader must influence clinical staff who do not report to them?