Pharmacy staff have informed a healthcare quality professional that use of a particularly expensive drug...

Within the Health Data Analytics domain, NAHQ stresses that quality professionals must validate and analyze data before initiating corrective actions. When an increase in drug utilization is identified, the first step is to understand who is prescribing, how often, and under what indications.

Collecting prescribing and dispensing data allows identification of trends, variation, and potential drivers such as changes in patient mix, clinical guidelines, or inappropriate utilization. This step aligns with NAHQ’s emphasis on data-driven decision-making.

Monitoring without analysis (Option B) delays improvement. Peer review (Option C) is premature without evidence of inappropriate prescribing. Administration and monitoring data (Option D) are relevant for safety outcomes but do not explain utilization increases. Therefore, Option A is the most appropriate next step.