Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ)

 

Becoming a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) signifies professional and academic achievement by those in the field of healthcare quality management. A CPHQ is proficient in healthcare quality management at all employment levels and in all healthcare settings.

There is no minimum education or work experience requirements that specifically need to be fulfilled in order to sit for the CPHQ examination; however, this examination is not designed for entry-level candidates. A minimum of two years experience in the field of healthcare quality management is recommended.

The CPHQ examination questions are linked to the following tasks:

Management and leadership: 22 percent

• Facilitate the development of leadership values and commitment
  
• Facilitate the assessment and development of an organization's quality and culture
  
• Participate in the organizational strategic planning
  
• Identify the internal and external customer and supplier relationships
  
• Participate in the development of an organizational mission and vision statement
  
• Develop goals and objectives
  
• Develop and use performance measurements
  
• Determine lines of authority and accountability
  
• Evaluate the applicability of performance improvement models
  
• Evaluate the applicability of national excellence and quality models
  
• Facilitate the evaluation and selection of appropriate voluntary accreditation processes
  
• Develop a performance improvement plan
  
• Link performance improvement activities with strategic goals
  
• Demonstrate the financial benefits of a quality program
  
• Facilitate beneficial changes within an organization
  
• Facilitate the establishment of a performance improvement oversight group
  
• Identify the need for a performance improvement team
  
• Identify an appropriate team structure
  
• Identify champions
  
• Monitor the activities of consultants
  
• Assist in developing objective performance measures
  
• Contribute to the development and revision of a written plan for a risk management program and a care management program
  
• Coordinate survey processes

Information management: 24 percent

• Maintain the confidentiality of performance improvement activities
  
• Organize information for committee meetings
  
• Assess customer needs and expectations
  
• Perform or coordinate data inventory listing activities, data definition activities, and data collection methodology
  
• Assist with the evaluation of computer software applications
  
• Evaluate and implement computerized systems for data collection and analysis capabilities
  
• Use epidemiological theory in data collection and analysis
  
• Collect qualitative and quantitative data
  
• Summarize data for analysis
  
• Use or coordinate the use of process analysis tools and statistical process control components to display data
  
• Use basic statistical techniques to describe data
  
• Use the results of statistical techniques to evaluate data
  
• Use comparative data to measure or analyze performance
  
• Interpret benchmarking data, incident reports, and outcome data to support decision-making
  
• Interact with medical staff and support personnel regarding patient management issues
  
• Promote organizational values and commitment among staff
  
• Write performance improvement reports
  
• Integrate quality concepts
  
• Coordinate the dissemination of performance improvement information

Performance management and improvement: 38 percent

• Establish priorities for process improvement activities
  
• Develop performance improvement action plans and projects
  
• Select process and outcome measures
  
• Select practice guidelines
  
• Develop clinical guidelines
  
• Evaluate the practicality of applying for quality awards
  
• Coordinate the performance improvement process
  
• Participate on performance improvement teams
  
• Participate in the credentialing process
  
• Coordinate quality improvement projects
  
• Participate in the process of medication usage, medical record, peer and service-specific review, infection control, and patient advocacy
  
• Perform risk management and prevention
  
• Develop, provide, and evaluate the effectiveness of performance improvement training
  
• Facilitate change within the organization through education
  
• Provide survey preparation training
  
• Evaluate team performance
  
• Analyze performance reports and patient satisfaction
  
• Conduct practitioner profiling and complaint analysis
  
• Incorporate performance improvement into the employee performance appraisal system
  
• Incorporate findings from performance improvement into the credentialing and appointment process
  
• Integrate the results of data analysis and the outcome of risk and utilization management assessment into the performance
• improvement process

Patient safety: 16 percent

• Facilitate the development of the organization's patient safety culture
  
• Identify patient safety goals
  
• Develop a patient safety program
  
• Link patient safety activities with strategic goals
  
• Integrate patient safety concepts into the organization
  
• Integrate patient safety findings into management activities
  
• Develop a written plan for a patient safety program
  
• Coordinate a patient safety program
  
• Assess how technology can enhance a patient safety program and integrate patient safety technology
  
• Integrate patient safety goals into organizational activities