Addressing the increased incidence of type 2 diabetes through the lens of social determinants of health involves addressing broader factors that impact health. Collaborating with local farmers' markets to make fresh produce more widely available is a strategy that addresses the social determinants of health by improving access to healthy food options. This approach can help reduce the risk of diabetes by making it easier for community members to make healthy dietary choices, thereby addressing one of the root causes of the increased diabetes incidence.

Educate newly diagnosed patients on diabetes disease management (A): While important, this strategy focuses on managing diabetes after it occurs rather than addressing the social determinants that contribute to its onset.

Set up a community-based education program about blood glucose monitoring (B): This is also important for management but does not directly address the social determinants that lead to the higher incidence.

Review evidence-based diabetes management protocols with primary care providers (C): This improves care quality but does not address the social factors contributing to the disease.

Reference

NAHQ Body of Knowledge: Addressing Social Determinants of Health in Quality Improvement

NAHQ CPHQ Exam Preparation Materials: Strategies for Managing Social Determinants of Health

When a healthcare quality professional identifies a gap in practice from regulatory requirements, the first step should be to understand the root cause of the non-compliance.This involves meeting with the staff to determine the barriers to compliance12.

Understanding the barriers to compliance:This involves engaging with the staff who are directly involved in the area where the gap has been identified. The staff can provide insights into the challenges they face in adhering to the regulatory requirements.This could include issues such as lack of resources, inadequate training, or unclear procedures12.

Developing a plan to address the barriers:Once the barriers have been identified, the healthcare quality professional can work with the staff and management to develop a plan to address these barriers.This could involve providing additional resources, improving training, or clarifying procedures12.

Monitoring and evaluating progress:After the plan has been implemented, it's important to monitor and evaluate progress.This could involve conducting audits to assess the rate of compliance and making adjustments to the plan as necessary12.

By taking this approach, the healthcare quality professional can ensure that the organization is not only compliant with regulatory requirements but also that the staff are equipped to maintain this compliance in the future12.

1: Competency Framework | NAHQ

2: Workforce Competencies for Healthcare Quality Professionals: Leading Quality-Driven Healthcare | NAHQ

When the health department cites a clinic for improper storage of used instruments, the most immediate and effective first step from a quality perspective is to educate staff on the requirements for proper instrument storage. Here's why:

Immediate Risk Mitigation: Educating staff ensures that they understand the correct procedures for instrument storage, which helps to immediately mitigate any risks associated with improper practices. This step directly addresses the root cause of the citation, which is a lack of adherence to proper protocols.

Prevent Recurrence: By providing education and training, the clinic can prevent the recurrence of similar issues. Staff who are well-informed about the correct procedures are less likely to repeat mistakes, thereby improving overall compliance and reducing the likelihood of future citations.

Foundation for Further Actions: Education lays the groundwork for all subsequent actions, such as preparing action plans or conducting audits. Without ensuring that the staff is knowledgeable about the requirements, other steps may not be as effective.

Regulatory Compliance: Educating staff is also a necessary step to ensure the clinic meets regulatory requirements. It demonstrates the clinic's commitment to compliance and patient safety, which may be beneficial in interactions with regulatory bodies.

NAHQ CPHQ Study Guide, Section on Compliance and Risk Management.

Quality Management in Health Care, Chapter on Staff Education and Training.

When a healthcare organization identifies a problem that is impacting its performance, such as post-surgical respiratory failure rates negatively impacting reimbursement projections, the first step is typically to gather more information about the issue123.

In this case, the best way to do that would be to obtain a list of the patients identified by this code and conduct a retrospective review (Option D)123.This would allow the organization to look back at the medical records of these patients to understand more about their cases, including potential risk factors, the course of their treatment, and the outcomes they experienced123.

This information can then be used to identify patterns or trends that might be contributing to the high rates of post-surgical respiratory failure123.For example, the review might reveal that certain surgical procedures, patient characteristics, or care practices are associated with a higher risk of respiratory failure123.

Once this information has been gathered and analyzed, the organization can then move on to the next steps in the quality improvement process, such as identifying potential interventions, implementing changes, and monitoring their impact123.

To collect satisfaction data from its health plan members, a healthcare plan should use data collected through questionnaires or surveys. Surveys are a direct method of gathering feedback from members about their experiences, perceptions, and satisfaction with the health plan. This data is essential for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the plan from the members' perspective, which can then be used to make improvements.

Claims data obtained from healthcare payors (B): Claims data provides information on services used but does not directly measure member satisfaction.

Disease data obtained from disease registries (C): Disease data tracks health outcomes but is not related to satisfaction.

Data collected from the electronic health record (D): EHR data includes clinical information but does not capture member satisfaction directly.

Reference

NAHQ Body of Knowledge: Patient and Member Satisfaction Measurement

NAHQ CPHQ Exam Preparation Materials: Collecting and Analyzing Satisfaction Data