Quality Improvement Flashcards

An HSA administrator uses DMAIC to cut distribution-coding errors. In which phase does the team set the baseline error rate?

Answer: Measure

The Measure phase collects data to set the current performance baseline.

An audit finds that some members age 55+ were not allowed to make catch-up contributions. What is the most effective corrective action?

Answer: Set up the system to raise the limit by $1,000 automatically based on date of birth

Building the $1,000 catch-up into the system based on age removes the manual step that failed.

Which fishbone diagram category would best fit 'payroll vendor sends contribution files late'?

Answer: Methods/Process or Suppliers

Late files from an outside vendor are a supplier or process-input cause on a cause-and-effect diagram.

An HSA trustee wants to compare its member-complaint rate with leading custodians. Which QI approach is this?

Answer: Benchmarking

Benchmarking compares performance against peers or best-in-class organizations to set improvement targets.

A trustee's QI team finds many members ask for a mistaken-distribution repayment long after the year ends. Which policy keeps the process compliant?

Answer: Accept repayment only if the mistake is shown and repaid by the tax filing deadline after the year the error was known

IRS guidance lets a trustee accept repayment of a distribution made by mistake of fact by the due date (without extensions) of the return for the year the mistake was or should have been known.

Which is an example of a mistake-proofing (poka-yoke) control in HSA enrollment?

Answer: An enrollment form that blocks submission unless HDHP coverage is confirmed

Poka-yoke builds in a mechanism that stops an error from happening in the first place.

An HSA administrator's goal is 'Cut contribution-posting errors from 2% to 0.5% by December 31.' Which SMART element does the date satisfy?

Answer: Time-bound

A deadline makes a SMART goal time-bound.