MHA - Master of Healthcare Administration Quality and Performance Improvement Questions and Answers

Question 1

A hospital's quality improvement team is analyzing an increase in post-operative infections.
They are using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle.
In which phase of the cycle would the team analyze data to compare the outcomes of their implemented changes against the predicted outcomes?

Accepted Answer

Study

Answer

Plan

Answer

Do

Answer

Act

Question 2

A healthcare administrator is tasked with reducing waste and improving efficiency in the emergency department's patient flow process. Which of the following performance improvement methodologies is most focused on eliminating non-value-added activities and waste?

Accepted Answer

Lean

Answer

Six Sigma

Answer

Total Quality Management (TQM)

Answer

Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

Question 3

Following a serious medication error that resulted in patient harm, a hospital is required by The Joint Commission to conduct a thorough investigation. Which of the following is the most appropriate initial step for the hospital's leadership to take in response to this sentinel event?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a comprehensive systematic analysis, such as a Root Cause Analysis (RCA).

Answer

Discipline the staff members involved in the error.

Answer

Immediately implement a new medication administration technology.

Answer

Report the event to the local news media to ensure transparency.

Question 4

A Master of Healthcare Administration graduate is leading a project to improve patient satisfaction scores in an outpatient clinic. To gauge their clinic's performance, they compare their patient satisfaction data against the top-performing outpatient clinics in the nation. This process is best described as:

Accepted Answer

Benchmarking

Answer

Root Cause Analysis

Answer

Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA)

Answer

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

Question 5

Which of the following best defines a 'sentinel event' according to The Joint Commission?

Accepted Answer

A patient safety event that results in death, permanent harm, or severe temporary harm.

Answer

Any error made by a healthcare provider, regardless of the outcome.

Answer

An unexpected event that increases the length of a patient's hospital stay.

Answer

A near miss that has the potential to cause harm but is caught before it reaches the patient.

Question 6

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) develops and maintains Quality Indicators (QIs) that are widely used in healthcare. What is the primary data source used to calculate these indicators?

Accepted Answer

Hospital inpatient administrative data

Answer

Patient satisfaction surveys

Answer

Electronic health record clinical data

Answer

Direct observation of clinical practice