HAC Healthcare Analytics Performance Measurement & Reporting 3

Question 1

Which concept describes the process of adjusting outcome metrics to account for differences in patient severity across provider organizations?

Accepted Answer

Risk adjustment

Answer

Risk adjustment controls for patient severity and comorbidities to enable fair comparisons of outcomes across providers.

Question 2

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:

Accepted Answer

Verify data integrity and check for coding or reporting changes during the period

Answer

Data quality verification ensures that apparent performance changes are real and not artifacts of coding, reporting, or data extraction changes.

Question 3

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?

Accepted Answer

Intermediate outcome measure

Answer

Controlled blood pressure is an intermediate outcome — a physiologic result that serves as a proxy for long-term clinical outcomes.

Question 4

Which reporting framework requires hospitals to publicly report on patient safety indicators, hospital-acquired conditions, and value-based purchasing scores?

Accepted Answer

CMS Hospital Compare / Care Compare

Answer

CMS Care Compare publicly reports hospital quality data including PSIs, HACs, and VBP performance for Medicare-certified hospitals.

Question 5

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:

Accepted Answer

A non-random signal suggesting a real process change

Answer

Eight consecutive points on the same side of the median is a recognized run chart rule indicating a non-random shift in the process.

(HAC) Healthcare Analytics Certification Practice Test

(HAC) Healthcare Analytics Certification Practice Test

HAC Healthcare Analytics Performance Measurement & Reporting 3