HCQM Certification Sample Test Questions

Become familiar with the format of the certification examination by answering these simple multiple choice questions. At the end of the test, view the answers and compare with your selected choices.

Sample Section:

1. Spurred by the Institute of Medicine reports on medical errors, a hospital's governing body demands a crash program to reduce medical errors. The chief executive officer orders the senior staff to immediately start nine patient safety projects. This decision will impede the likelihood of the organization lowering the rate of medical errors for which of the following reasons?
	A. Information technology implementation is required to efficiently start patient safety projects
	B. Involvement of the medical staff is critical in all patient safety projects
	C. Projects should focus on medical errors
	D. The quality assurance committee should direct all patient safety efforts
	E. Resources are allocated to too many projects

2. A chief nursing officer pulls together a Quality Improvement team to improve the efficiency of transferring patients from the emergency department to the patient floors. To ensure that the newly designed process is efficiently implemented, who must be part of the team?
	A. Chief information officer
	B. Chief medical officer
	C. Chief operating officer
	D. Emergency department head nurse
	E. President of the medical staff

3. Which of the following is a major complaint made by physicians against the use of information obtained from outcomes assessment?
	A. Increased market share will not be realized by cooperating physicians
	B. Information about internal costs and processes are not necessary for success
	C. Information gained cannot be shifted to the point of service
	D. The information is not statistically valid for individual physicians
	E. Linking process to outcomes does not control quality or cost

4. Which of the following is the most likely root cause of medication errors in health care entities?
	A. Carelessness of nurses
	B. Illegible physician handwriting
	C. Look-alike, sound-alike drugs
	D. Manual medication delivery systems
	E. Systems failure

5. A chief of surgery decides to address a quality problem among thoracic surgeons directly with staff. Who should participate in the meetings to address the problem?
	A. Medical staff leadership
	B. Nursing and risk management staff
	C. Quality assurance committee
	D. Relevant physicians, nurses and non-clinical staff
	E. Thoracic surgeons only

6. A case manager discovers that a physical therapist is regularly billing one-hour sessions while providing 20 minutes of care. Which of the following actions of the case manager is most appropriate?
	A. Documenting the discrepancy in the case notes
	B. Notifying the patient of the discrepancy
	C. Reporting the activity to the plan administrator
	D. Visiting with the physical therapist to highlight the discrepancy
	E. Doing nothing