CPHQ Study Guide 2026

Best practice, supported by organizations like CMS and AHRQ, dictates that discharge planning should begin at the time of admission. This allows the care team to identify potential post-discharge needs, barriers, and necessary resources early in the stay, leading to a safer and more coordinated transition. Waiting until discharge is imminent does not allow adequate time to arrange for complex needs like home health, durable medical equipment, or placement in a skilled nursing facility.

Structure measures assess the capacity and resources of a healthcare organization, such as staffing ratios, facilities, and equipment.

A quality dashboard displays key performance indicators at a glance, enabling leadership to rapidly assess organizational performance across multiple domains.

While often used similarly, there is a key distinction. The 'Check' phase in Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) primarily focuses on comparing the results against the expected outcomes. The 'Study' phase in Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA), as advocated by Deming, implies a more profound analysis of the results to understand the underlying causes and to learn from the test of change, which is particularly favored in complex systems like healthcare.

RPN stands for Risk Priority Number, which is a key component of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). FMEA is a systematic, proactive method for identifying potential failure modes in a process or product, assessing their severity, occurrence, and detectability, and then calculating an RPN to prioritize corrective actions. The RPN helps determine which potential failures pose the highest risk and require immediate attention.

Proactive risk assessment identifies system vulnerabilities and addresses them before they result in patient harm or organizational liability.