CPHRM CPHRM Healthcare Operations Risk 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which operational risk management tool helps healthcare organizations proactively identify failure points in a process before harm occurs?
- Claims frequency analysis
- Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) (Correct answer)
- Balance sheet review
- Post-incident litigation review
Correct answer: Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
FMEA is a proactive method that systematically examines a process to identify where and how it might fail and the effects of those failures.
Question 2: A hospital experiences a ransomware attack that encrypts patient records. This event is primarily categorized as which type of operational risk?
- Clinical liability risk
- Cybersecurity / information technology risk (Correct answer)
- Workers' compensation risk
- Environmental health risk
Correct answer: Cybersecurity / information technology risk
Ransomware attacks targeting patient records are a cybersecurity operational risk that can disrupt care delivery and compromise protected health information.
Question 3: Which of the following is the most effective control to reduce medication administration errors at the point of care?
- Requiring nurses to document errors within 24 hours
- Implementing barcode medication administration (BCMA) systems (Correct answer)
- Posting a medication list in the nursing lounge
- Conducting quarterly pharmacy audits
Correct answer: Implementing barcode medication administration (BCMA) systems
BCMA systems verify patient identity, medication, dose, and timing at the bedside, significantly reducing the 'five rights' errors in medication administration.
Question 4: A healthcare organization's risk manager is assessing supply chain disruption risk. Which mitigation strategy is most appropriate?
- Relying on a single preferred supplier for all critical supplies
- Maintaining strategic inventory reserves and identifying backup suppliers (Correct answer)
- Outsourcing all procurement decisions to clinical staff
- Eliminating supply contracts to reduce overhead costs
Correct answer: Maintaining strategic inventory reserves and identifying backup suppliers
Maintaining strategic reserves and dual/backup suppliers reduces vulnerability to supply chain disruptions that could impair patient care.
Question 5: Which document formally assigns responsibility for managing a specific operational risk to a department or individual?
- The hospital's marketing plan
- A risk ownership matrix or accountability assignment (Correct answer)
- The Medicare cost report
- The facility master plan
Correct answer: A risk ownership matrix or accountability assignment
A risk ownership matrix clearly assigns accountability for monitoring, mitigating, and reporting each identified operational risk to a responsible party.
Question 6: In healthcare operational risk management, a 'near miss' is best defined as:
- An event that caused serious patient harm
- An event that could have caused harm but did not reach the patient (Correct answer)
- A claim that was denied by the insurer
- A survey deficiency cited by a state agency
Correct answer: An event that could have caused harm but did not reach the patient
A near miss is an unplanned event that had the potential to cause harm but was caught before reaching the patient, offering a critical learning opportunity.
CPHRM CPHRM Healthcare Operations Risk 2
Which operational risk management tool helps healthcare organizations proactively identify failure points in a process before harm occurs?