Population Health Analytics 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 Population Health Analytics flashcards as text
Which population health concept describes the total cost of care for a defined patient population over a set period?
Answer: Per member per month (PMPM) expenditure
PMPM is the standard metric for expressing average total cost across a health plan or ACO population on a monthly basis.
What distinguishes incidence from prevalence in population health measurement?
Answer: Incidence counts new cases in a period; prevalence counts all existing cases at a point in time
Incidence captures the rate of new disease onset, while prevalence captures the proportion of a population currently affected.
An ACO aims to reduce unnecessary specialist utilization. Which population health strategy best supports this goal?
Answer: Embedding care coordinators to navigate patients to appropriate primary care first
Care coordination strengthens primary care as the entry point, reducing avoidable specialist referrals and fragmented care.
Which data source is best for calculating small-area health estimates at the ZIP code level in the US?
Answer: CDC PLACES (formerly 500 Cities) dataset
CDC PLACES provides modeled local health estimates for all US counties, places, census tracts, and ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What is the function of a disease registry in population health management?
Answer: To maintain a longitudinal list of patients with a specific condition for proactive outreach and care gap closure
A disease registry enables systematic tracking and outreach to all patients with a condition, supporting proactive rather than reactive care.
Which statistical concept describes the minimum detectable difference a study is powered to identify?
Answer: Effect size
Effect size defines the magnitude of a meaningful difference, which guides sample size calculations to ensure adequate statistical power.
A population health dashboard shows rising ED utilization for behavioral health conditions. What is the most appropriate first analytic step?
Answer: Stratify ED visits by diagnosis, payer, geography, and prior outpatient utilization
Stratification reveals which subpopulations are driving the trend and whether outpatient alternatives were available, guiding targeted intervention.