CPHIMS CPHIMS Technology and IT Infrastructure 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which standard defines the OSI model layer responsible for end-to-end error recovery and flow control in network communications?
- Layer 2 – Data Link
- Layer 3 – Network
- Layer 4 – Transport (Correct answer)
- Layer 5 – Session
Correct answer: Layer 4 – Transport
The Transport layer (Layer 4) provides end-to-end error detection, recovery, and flow control using protocols like TCP.
Question 2: A healthcare organization is considering containerization for its microservices-based EHR modules. What is the PRIMARY advantage over traditional VMs?
- Containers provide stronger hardware isolation than VMs
- Containers share the host OS kernel, making them lighter and faster to start (Correct answer)
- Containers eliminate the need for network configuration
- Containers automatically encrypt all inter-service communication
Correct answer: Containers share the host OS kernel, making them lighter and faster to start
Containers share the host OS kernel, consuming fewer resources and starting in milliseconds compared to full VMs that run separate OS instances.
Question 3: In healthcare IT, which approach BEST ensures business continuity when a critical application vendor discontinues support?
- Continue using the unsupported software with enhanced monitoring
- Initiate a planned migration to a supported alternative system (Correct answer)
- Purchase extended support directly from the vendor
- Switch immediately to a manual paper-based process
Correct answer: Initiate a planned migration to a supported alternative system
A planned migration to a supported system addresses the root risk (lack of security patches and vendor support) while maintaining operational continuity.
Question 4: A CMIO asks the IT team to explain why the hospital uses a tiered storage architecture. Which answer is MOST accurate?
- Tiered storage eliminates the need for backup systems
- It places frequently accessed data on fast storage and less-accessed data on cheaper, slower media (Correct answer)
- All data is stored on the fastest available media to ensure performance
- Tiered storage is required by HIPAA for PHI protection
Correct answer: It places frequently accessed data on fast storage and less-accessed data on cheaper, slower media
Tiered storage optimizes cost and performance by automatically moving data to appropriate storage tiers based on access frequency.
Question 5: Which technology enables real-time replication of database transactions to a secondary site to minimize data loss in a disaster?
- Scheduled full backups
- Synchronous database mirroring or log shipping (Correct answer)
- RAID 5 parity striping
- Cold standby tape restore
Correct answer: Synchronous database mirroring or log shipping
Synchronous mirroring replicates each transaction to the secondary site before confirming it, achieving near-zero RPO.
Question 6: A hospital's IT governance committee is reviewing a proposal to adopt a SaaS EHR. Which risk is UNIQUE to SaaS compared to on-premises deployment?
- Need to maintain server hardware
- Dependence on vendor for uptime, updates, and data access (Correct answer)
- Requirement to manage OS patching
- Need to procure data center physical space
Correct answer: Dependence on vendor for uptime, updates, and data access
SaaS transfers infrastructure management to the vendor, creating dependency on the vendor's availability, update schedule, and data portability policies.
Question 7: Which healthcare IT infrastructure component is MOST critical for supporting HL7 FHIR-based interoperability between disparate systems?
- Dedicated fiber optic cables between facilities
- An API gateway or integration engine with FHIR R4 support (Correct answer)
- A shared Oracle database between organizations
- A proprietary VPN tunnel between EHR vendors
Correct answer: An API gateway or integration engine with FHIR R4 support
An API gateway or integration engine that supports FHIR R4 manages, routes, and transforms FHIR API requests between systems, enabling standards-based interoperability.
CPHIMS CPHIMS Technology and IT Infrastructure 5
Which standard defines the OSI model layer responsible for end-to-end error recovery and flow control in network communications?