Data Analytics & Population Health Flashcards

Which statistical measure is most appropriate for describing the central tendency of skewed clinical data distributions?

Answer: Median

The median is preferred over the mean for skewed distributions because it is not influenced by extreme outliers.

A population health analyst identifies that readmission rates differ significantly by ZIP code. This disparity most likely reflects which type of determinant?

Answer: Social determinants of health

ZIP code-level disparities in readmissions commonly reflect social determinants such as income, transportation, and access to follow-up care.

What is the primary purpose of a risk stratification model in population health management?

Answer: Identify high-risk patients for proactive intervention

Risk stratification models score patients by predicted future utilization or deterioration so care teams can intervene before costly events occur.

In an EHR data warehouse, a 'fact table' typically stores which type of information?

Answer: Transactional measurable events such as encounters

In a star schema, fact tables contain quantitative, transactional data like encounter counts, charges, and lab results keyed to dimension tables.

Which metric calculates the proportion of a population that has a disease at a specific point in time?

Answer: Prevalence rate

Prevalence measures existing cases divided by population size at a specific time, capturing the burden of a disease in a community.

A hospital wants to compare its 30-day mortality rates fairly against national benchmarks. Which analytical approach is required?

Answer: Risk adjustment

Risk adjustment accounts for differences in patient severity and case mix so that comparisons across hospitals are clinically fair.

Which federal program uses quality measure reporting from EHR data to financially reward or penalize eligible clinicians?

Answer: MIPS (Merit-based Incentive Payment System)

MIPS under MACRA ties Medicare payment adjustments to performance on quality, cost, and improvement activity measures reported via EHR data.