Healthcare Analytics Performance Measurement & Reporting Flashcards
7 cards from real HAC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Healthcare Analytics Performance Measurement & Reporting flashcards as text
Which concept describes the process of adjusting outcome metrics to account for differences in patient severity across provider organizations?
Answer: Risk adjustment
Risk adjustment controls for patient severity and comorbidities to enable fair comparisons of outcomes across providers.
A performance dashboard shows that a clinic's diabetes HbA1c control rate dropped from 68% to 61% over one quarter. Before drawing conclusions, the analyst should FIRST:
Answer: Verify data integrity and check for coding or reporting changes during the period
Data quality verification ensures that apparent performance changes are real and not artifacts of coding, reporting, or data extraction changes.
The HEDIS measure 'Controlling High Blood Pressure' specifies a blood pressure threshold of less than 140/90 mmHg. This is an example of which type of quality measure?
Answer: Intermediate outcome measure
Controlled blood pressure is an intermediate outcome — a physiologic result that serves as a proxy for long-term clinical outcomes.
Which reporting framework requires hospitals to publicly report on patient safety indicators, hospital-acquired conditions, and value-based purchasing scores?
Answer: CMS Hospital Compare / Care Compare
CMS Care Compare publicly reports hospital quality data including PSIs, HACs, and VBP performance for Medicare-certified hospitals.
An analyst notices that a run chart of weekly patient falls shows a shift (eight consecutive points on the same side of the median). This pattern indicates:
Answer: A non-random signal suggesting a real process change
Eight consecutive points on the same side of the median is a recognized run chart rule indicating a non-random shift in the process.
In population health analytics, which measure best quantifies the gap between current care delivery and evidence-based best practice for a defined patient cohort?
Answer: Care gap rate
A care gap rate measures the proportion of eligible patients who have not received a recommended evidence-based service or treatment.
A hospital is measuring its Observed-to-Expected (O/E) mortality ratio. An O/E ratio of 0.78 should be interpreted as:
Answer: Mortality is 22% lower than expected given patient risk
An O/E ratio below 1.0 means observed deaths are fewer than risk-adjusted predictions, indicating better-than-expected performance.