The quality improvement team at a hospital is prioritizing projects that could improve both quality...

In the Performance and Process Improvement domain, NAHQ emphasizes selecting initiatives that impact clinical outcomes, patient safety, and reimbursement. Inpatient urinary catheter utilization is directly linked to catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), which are publicly reported and tied to CMS value-based purchasing and hospital-acquired condition (HAC) penalties.

Reducing catheter utilization lowers infection risk, improves patient outcomes, and protects reimbursement. While the other options may improve operational efficiency or staff satisfaction, they are not as directly connected to nationally reported quality metrics and financial incentives. This makes Option D the highest-priority project from both quality and reimbursement perspectives.