Per the NAHQ CPHQ exam blueprint and official competency framework, healthcare quality measurement is categorized into structure, process, outcome, and balancing measures. Outcome measures focus on the end results of healthcare services and evaluate the impact of care on a patient’s health status, functioning, or survival.
A procedural complication rate is a clear example of an outcome measure because it directly reflects the clinical results of knee replacement surgery, such as postoperative infections, bleeding, thromboembolic events, or surgical failures. Outcome measures assess whether the care delivered achieved its intended purpose and are essential for evaluating effectiveness, safety, and quality of care, which are core competencies tested on the CPHQ exam.
Option A (clinical pathway compliance rate) and Option B (completion of surgical time-outs) are process measures, as they evaluate whether specific care activities were performed according to established standards. While important for monitoring adherence and preventing errors, they do not measure the actual result of care. Option C (patient experience survey results) is classified as a patient-reported experience measure, which captures perceptions of care rather than clinical outcomes.
The CPHQ framework emphasizes outcome measures as critical for performance evaluation, benchmarking, and quality improvement decision-making, making procedural complication rate the most appropriate answer.
