Q&A Hero

Q: Which of the following is a performance measure? a. Operating margin ratio b. Capitalization ratio c. Accounts receivable turnover ratio d. Total asset ratio

Q: _____ ratios measure the ability of an organization to meet its short- and long-term obligations. a. Accounts receivable b. Capitalization c. Liquidity d. Turnover

Q: Included in the preparation of a GANTT chart is the determination of a critical path.

Q: Looking at various outside factors that influence a health care organization's future business plan is called an internal environmental analysis.

Q: Effective strategic planning requires environmental forecasting.

Q: In strategy formulation, adaptive strategies indicate the method for carrying out the directional strategies.

Q: In change management, "managing change" refers to the making of changes in a planned and managed or systematic fashion.

Q: A trip frequency chart shows which employees frequently interact with one another.

Q: Indirect lighting can also be referred to as reflective lighting.

Q: The color red has the effect of putting workers to sleep.

Q: The color red is rarely used in offices because it can cause headaches and increase blood pressure.

Q: Repetitive strain or stress injuries are a potential problem for medical transcriptionists.

Q: If work being performed in a health care setting requires handling confidential information, then the space design should factor confidentiality into the space planning process.

Q: In re-engineering, those processes that do not contribute to achieving an organization's goals are called value-added activities.

Q: A Gantt chart can be used for personnel planning, resource allocation, and budgeting.

Q: Project management is a skill set that emphasizes planning and implementing a specific objective.

Q: Management creates both formal and informal organizations to accomplish its goals.

Q: Improving work processes requires questioning the necessity of continuing to do all currently performed tasks.

Q: Departmental productivity standards help employees understand expected job performance.

Q: A statistical report of the quarterly clinical record review that contains errors and needs to be redone would be counted as a "productive unit of work."

Q: A work distribution chart could identify an uneven distribution of work within a work unit.

Q: Employee absence would not delay work completion in a serial work division model.

Q: Madison Hospital needs more physical space at the main hospital campus for additional clinical services. The hospital has a fully implemented EHR system for both its inpatient and outpatient services. Health Information Services (HIS) is being asked to move its operations to an office site 6 miles from the main hospital campus. Administration has assured the HIS director there will be adequate shuttle service between the hospital and the HIS department. The HIS director, Jack Jones, must prepare a plan to give to his administrator. Jack decides to consider the move a project. What are the major stages he must consider as he begins his initial draft of the HIS Move Plan?

Q: When planning a project implementation in a small physician office, the _________________describes how the EHR system will function when fully implemented.

Q: "To assure the correct patient identification number is assigned 100% of the time" is an example of a(n) ___________________.

Q: When planning a project implementation of an EHR in a small physician office, "What is the opportunity? What is to be done? Who is responsible for the project? When must it be completed?" are all components of what part of defining the project?

Q: A _________________ can be used to determine alternative actions for solving a problem such as when there is an unexpected volume of requests by patients for medical records.

Q: The statement, "All clinical staff authorized to document in a health record must record in the EHR, except for those instances where technology is not available for electronic entry" is an example of a(n)____________________.

Q: When the chairman of the Health Record Committee writes to the HIM director about the quality of the monthly incomplete and delinquent medical record reports, he is providing the HIM director _______________.

Q: When the transcription supervisor at Mercy Hospital calls three of her transcription manager colleagues to find out about their productivity standards for transcriptionists, she is using what management tool?

Q: When the director of HIM organizes a meeting to brainstorm what kinds of services the HIM department will be performing in 5-10 years, she is asking stakeholders to create a _______________.

Q: In the process of determining the ____________________ for health information services, answers must be developed for these questions: "Who are we?" and "What are we?"

Q: Key staffing demand indicators for an HIM director to use to assess internal staffing levels include all EXCEPT a. # of lines per minute b. # of discharges processed c. # of staff used by an outside ROI vendor d. # of incoming and out-going phone calls

Q: The task of strategic planning in an organization would most likely be completed by a. Top management. b. Middle managers. c. Consultants. d. Supervisors.

Q: The primary advantage of using a decision matrix in the decision process is a. All relevant information can be displayed and viewed at the same time. b. The matrix clearly displays the flow of information. c. The matrix makes the decision for the individual or group. d. The matrix identifies all potential problems.

Q: The step in a flow process chart that describes the "review of a consent for release of information to determine that it meets the health information management criteria for processing the request" refers to a(n) a. Transportation. b. Storage. c. Inspection. d. Delay.

Q: The work flow process chart is being used by the health information manager to gather data about the release-of-information (ROI) process. Which of the following represents data about a delay in the ROI process that would be found by using a work flow process chart? a. The ROI employees have an attitude problem. b. The ROI staff are not cross-trained. c. One staff member is working a lot of overtime. d. It takes 15 days to get a record copied.

Q: The health information management director of Lakeview Hospital is gathering data to help in the preparation of departmental productivity standards. She finds there are three hospitals of approximately the same size and service model that have achieved a 3- to 4-day turnaround from patient discharge to billing the payer. She has contacted these facilities to learn more about how the organizations are achieving this standard. The activity described is called a. Peer review. b. Benchmarking. c. Synthesis. d. Re-engineering.

Q: Work sampling using random observations is effective because a. Data are obtained with less time and expense. b. The employee gets the manager's attention. c. The manager can see whether work is distributed equitably. d. It interrupts the normal work routine for shorter periods of time.

Q: The formula (Quantity + Quality)/staff hours is an expression of a. Productivity. b. Costs. c. Work distribution. d. Parallel work.

Q: Assigning three health information management professionals to 35 full-time equivalent staff members in a health information management department to handle release of information requests is an example of which type of work organization? a. Project b. Customer c. Process d. Territory

Q: Organizing the health information department of a large ambulatory care center into teams to provide services to particular clinics is an example of which type of work organization? a. Functional b. Customer c. Process d. Project

Q: An organization as open system survives by shielding itself from all influences and forces in its environment.

Q: Behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) use realistic examples of on-the-job behavior to increase the reliability of performance appraisal.

Q: The most effective job description directly anchors the critical success factors of the organization to the expected outcomes of a job.

Q: Codes of ethics, if well-written and comprehensive, should be able to resolve all ethical issues and conflicts faced by the health information manager.

Q: Job descriptions are helpful in minimizing role ambiguity.

Q: Delegation of authority is important because it expands the manager's ability and provides decision-making opportunities for employees.

Q: Hersey and Blanchard's model of leadership characterizes leader's roles in terms of their relative orientation to tasks and relationships.

Q: The "recency effect" as related to performance appraisal results in the supervisor making judgments that are not based on a representative range of the employee's behavior.

Q: The National Labor Relations Act requires all employers under its jurisdiction to bargain with any employees who claim to represent the majority of their fellow workers.

Q: The major purpose of suspension as a disciplinary measure is to punish the employee for his or her conduct.

Q: The principle of "employment at will" protects the employee from termination without just cause.

Q: Employee orientation need not be structured formally because the best approach is for the new employee to learn from his or her mistakes on a trial-and-error basis.

Q: Job evaluation by use of a factor and point system provides an objective measure of the employee's performance in his or her job.

Q: The Americans with Disabilities Act requires the organization to determine and document explicitly the essential functions of the job.

Q: The job description should not be too specific about the responsibilities, tasks, and activities required because that will invite the employee to limit his effort to just what's stated in the job description.

Q: The primary outcomes of effective job analysis should be the determination of job requirements, a written job description, and the employee's understanding of performance expectations associated with the job.

Q: Applying a systems model of the organization places greater emphasis on the internal functioning of individual units rather than on the interaction of units and of the organization with its environment.

Q: The goal of federal affirmative action programs is to address inequities resulting from historical discrimination of minority groups in the workplace.

Q: To be effective, an employee assistance program must preserve strict confidentiality to protect clients and regularly monitor the outcomes of the program's activities.

Q: Aptitude and psychological tests are performance-based tests.

Q: A job evaluation determines a position's relative worth to the organization to ensure internal equity between jobs.

Q: The critical incident method of employee performance evaluation emphasizes the documentation of unacceptable behavior.

Q: Disparate impact occurs when a member of a protected group receives unequal treatment.

Q: The National Labor Relations Act deals with overtime pay, child labor, and record-keeping requirements for employers.

Q: The Equal Pay Act requires that every person in a position be paid the same wages.

Q: Describe some activities conducive to developing and maintaining an effective health information management team.

Q: Explain how the tool shown above would be useful in human resources planning.

Q: You are the Director of a large HIM department with 150 employees in a major urban teaching hospital. Right now, the hospital is running in the black, but this has not always been the case. The organization's HR department is working with senior management to come up with a proactive plan to avoid layoffs when and if the economy begins to falter. HR and senior management want to be sure that responsible staffing decisions continue to be made. A principle is that the staffing plan for all departments, including HIM, should be cost-justified and shown to be linked to and drive the hospital's incremental business results. HR is working with all departmental directors to plan for up-and-down business cycles. HR is asking, "When the economic cycle falls apart again, what are we going to do? Let's think about what steps we can take now to prevent layoff pain later on." In preparing to meet with the HR representative, you talk with your management team and brainstorm some alternative ideas. What are some of the approaches you and your team come up with to discuss with HR?

Q: How would the tool shown in the illustration below be used in human resources planning? Date Compiled: _______________

Q: Identify aspects of this instrument that you would change to improve its effective use in practice.

Q: What do all job evaluation approaches have in common?

Q: What are some common objectives that health care organizations pursue through effective compensation management?

Q: Why must every organization have a complaint or grievance procedure?

Q: If layoffs are inevitable, what are some options that a human resource manager may take to reduce the amount of human suffering associated with a loss of job?

Q: What are some methods a manager may use to provide regular feedback to staff and keep communication lines open?

Q: What are some constraints that arise in recruitment that affect the size of the applicant pool?

Q: Name three reasons why job analysis is useful.

Q: What does the Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act make illegal?