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CMDP practice questions

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Question 1Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

Which role is primarily accountable for defining data stewardship policies and resolving cross-departmental data ownership disputes in a healthcare organization?

  1. The external software vendor
  2. The individual clinician
  3. The front-line registration clerk
  4. The data governance council Correct answer.

Explanation

A data governance council is a cross-functional body that sets policy, defines ownership, and adjudicates disputes that span departments. Individual staff and vendors execute within that framework rather than set it.

Question 2Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

A hospital wants a single named individual responsible for the quality and appropriate use of its patient demographic data. Which concept does this describe?

  1. Data redundancy
  2. Data stewardship Correct answer.
  3. Data latency
  4. Data masking

Explanation

Data stewardship assigns accountability for a defined data domain to a named person who ensures quality and proper use. The other terms describe storage, timing, or obfuscation properties of data rather than accountability.

Question 3Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

Which document most directly establishes who may access protected health information and for what purposes within a covered entity?

  1. The employee newsletter
  2. The network firewall configuration
  3. The data governance charter and access policy Correct answer.
  4. The marketing brochure

Explanation

Access to protected health information is governed by formal policy documents that define permitted users and purposes. Technical configurations enforce policy but do not establish the rules themselves.

Question 4Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

What is the primary purpose of a data dictionary in a healthcare data governance program?

  1. To standardize definitions, formats, and allowable values for data elements Correct answer.
  2. To encrypt data at rest
  3. To schedule nightly batch jobs
  4. To store backup copies of the clinical database

Explanation

A data dictionary documents metadata such as element definitions, formats, and valid values so that data is interpreted consistently. Backup, scheduling, and encryption are operational functions outside its scope.

Question 5Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

Which of the following best describes data lineage?

  1. The documented path of data from source through transformation to consumption Correct answer.
  2. The retention period for records
  3. The physical location of the data center
  4. The number of users with access

Explanation

Data lineage traces how data moves and is transformed across systems, supporting traceability and impact analysis. Location, access counts, and retention are separate governance attributes.

Question 6Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

In data governance, what does data quality dimension 'completeness' measure?

  1. The degree to which data matches reality
  2. The degree to which data is available on time
  3. The degree to which required data elements are populated Correct answer.
  4. The degree to which data is free of duplication

Explanation

Completeness assesses whether all required fields contain values. Accuracy, uniqueness, and timeliness are distinct dimensions that measure different properties.

Question 7Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

Which principle requires that health data be collected only for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes?

  1. Purpose limitation Correct answer.
  2. Integrity and confidentiality
  3. Data minimization
  4. Storage limitation

Explanation

Purpose limitation restricts data use to the purposes stated at collection. Minimization limits volume, storage limitation limits retention, and integrity addresses safeguarding.

Question 8Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

What is the main function of a master patient index (MPI) in enterprise data governance?

  1. To calculate reimbursement rates for claims
  2. To manage staff scheduling
  3. To store radiology images
  4. To maintain a consistent identifier linking a patient's records across systems Correct answer.

Explanation

An MPI provides a unique, cross-referenced identifier so that records for the same patient can be reconciled across systems. Reimbursement, imaging, and scheduling are separate applications.

Question 9Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

A new analyst requests access to a research data set containing de-identified records. Under a least-privilege model, what should the steward grant?

  1. Full read-write access to all clinical databases
  2. Access limited to the specific data elements and timeframe needed for the approved analysis Correct answer.
  3. Access to the production EHR with no restrictions
  4. Administrative rights to the data warehouse

Explanation

Least privilege grants only the minimum access necessary for the approved task. Broader access exceeds the stated need and increases risk.

Question 10Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

A steward discovers that the same patient has two medical record numbers after a name change. What governance action best addresses this?

  1. Initiate an identity reconciliation process through the MPI and document the merge Correct answer.
  2. Delete one of the records to eliminate the duplicate
  3. Leave both records untouched to avoid altering history
  4. Create a third record with the corrected name

Explanation

Duplicate identities are resolved through controlled MPI reconciliation that preserves an audit trail. Deleting or adding records worsens integrity and traceability.

Question 11Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

A quality report shows that 15% of records lack a discharge date. Which data quality dimension is most directly implicated?

  1. Completeness Correct answer.
  2. Validity
  3. Consistency
  4. Precision

Explanation

Missing values in a required field are a completeness defect. Consistency, precision, and validity describe different properties of the data.

Question 12Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

An organization wants to trace how a lab result flows from the analyzer to the analytics dashboard. Which governance artifact should it consult?

  1. The capital budget
  2. The data lineage map Correct answer.
  3. The business continuity plan
  4. The incident response runbook

Explanation

Lineage documents the source-to-target path and transformations of a data element. The other artifacts address continuity, security incidents, and finances.

Question 13Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

A steward notices that a data element labeled 'race' uses different category sets in two source systems. What is the appropriate governance response?

  1. Map both sources to a standardized value set and document the crosswalk Correct answer.
  2. Discard the element from analysis entirely
  3. Allow each system to continue using its own categories without documentation
  4. Report the discrepancy to the vendor and take no further action

Explanation

Standardizing to a common value set with a documented crosswalk enables consistent interpretation and comparability. Abandoning or ignoring the element undermines analysis and transparency.

Question 14Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

Which action best demonstrates stewardship of data quality at the point of entry?

  1. Archiving old records to free storage
  2. Increasing the database server capacity
  3. Running a quarterly audit after data has been reported
  4. Implementing front-end validation rules and training staff on required fields Correct answer.

Explanation

Point-of-entry controls prevent defects before they propagate, which is more effective than downstream detection. Audits, archiving, and capacity changes do not improve data capture quality directly.

Question 15Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

A clinician asks to use a patient data set for a secondary purpose not covered by the original consent. What should the steward do first?

  1. Grant access immediately because the requester is a clinician
  2. Verify whether the proposed use is permitted under policy and applicable consent or authorization Correct answer.
  3. Publish the data set to a public repository
  4. Deny the request without review

Explanation

Secondary uses must be evaluated against policy, consent, and authorization requirements before access is granted. Immediate grant, blanket denial, and public release all bypass the required review.

Question 16Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

A governance committee is defining retention rules for clinical records. Which factor is most relevant to setting the retention period?

  1. The number of active users
  2. The vendor's release schedule
  3. Legal, regulatory, and accreditation requirements applicable to the record type Correct answer.
  4. The storage cost of the database

Explanation

Retention periods are driven by legal, regulatory, and accreditation obligations that vary by record type. Cost, user counts, and vendor schedules are operational considerations, not the governing basis.

Question 17Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

What distinguishes a data owner from a data steward in a typical governance model?

  1. The owner and steward are identical roles with no distinction
  2. The owner is accountable for a data domain and approves policy, while the steward executes day-to-day quality activities Correct answer.
  3. The owner is an external auditor, while the steward is a vendor
  4. The owner performs data entry, while the steward approves budgets

Explanation

Owners hold accountability and decision rights for a domain, while stewards carry out operational quality and compliance activities. The roles differ in authority and day-to-day responsibility.

Question 18Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

An audit finds that users retain access after changing departments. Which governance control most directly prevents this?

  1. Shortening report run times
  2. Adding more database replicas
  3. Increasing password complexity
  4. Periodic access recertification tied to role changes Correct answer.

Explanation

Recertification reviews confirm that access still matches current roles, catching stale entitlements after transfers. Password rules, replicas, and performance tuning do not address entitlement drift.

Question 19Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

A steward is asked to assess whether a proposed new data field is necessary before adding it to the enterprise model. Which governance principle most directly guides this decision?

  1. Data federation
  2. Data virtualization
  3. Data minimization Correct answer.
  4. Data redundancy

Explanation

Data minimization asks whether each element is necessary for the stated purpose, limiting unnecessary collection. The other terms describe architecture or storage approaches, not necessity of collection.

Question 20Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

A hospital's governance policy requires that any new analytic data product document its source systems, transformations, and quality checks before release. Which practice does this best illustrate?

  1. Metadata-driven governance with defined release controls Correct answer.
  2. Ad hoc reporting without documentation
  3. Vendor-managed outsourcing of all analytics
  4. Real-time streaming architecture

Explanation

Requiring documented sources, transformations, and quality checks is metadata-driven governance enforced through release controls. The alternatives lack the documentation and control requirements.

Question 21Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

Two departments report different counts of active patients from the same source system. A steward finds each uses a different definition of 'active.' What is the most effective governance remedy?

  1. Remove the 'active' field from the source system
  2. Reconcile the numbers manually each month
  3. Let each department keep its own definition to avoid conflict
  4. Adopt an enterprise-approved definition in the data dictionary and align reports to it Correct answer.

Explanation

Divergent results from a shared source usually reflect inconsistent definitions, which are resolved by standardizing the metric in governance metadata. Perpetuating separate definitions or manual reconciliation treats symptoms rather than the cause.

Question 22Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

A governance review finds that a de-identified data set could be re-identified when combined with a public voter file. Which control is most appropriate?

  1. Rely solely on a user agreement with no technical controls
  2. Assess re-identification risk and apply additional de-identification or use restrictions before release Correct answer.
  3. Release the data set unchanged because it is already de-identified
  4. Publish the voter file alongside the data set

Explanation

De-identification must account for linkage risk from auxiliary data, which may require stronger methods or contractual restrictions. Releasing unchanged or relying only on agreements leaves the risk unaddressed.

Question 23Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

A steward must prioritize remediation of data quality issues across several domains. Which approach best reflects sound governance judgment?

  1. Address only issues raised by senior leadership
  2. Rank issues by clinical and regulatory impact and likelihood, then allocate effort accordingly Correct answer.
  3. Defer all remediation until the next fiscal year
  4. Fix the easiest issues first regardless of impact

Explanation

Risk-based prioritization weighs impact and likelihood so that effort targets the most consequential defects. Convenience, hierarchy, or delay do not reflect sound governance judgment.

Question 24Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

An organization wants to ensure accountability when data is shared with a research partner. Which mechanism best establishes enforceable obligations for the partner's use of the data?

  1. A public blog post describing the collaboration
  2. An informal email confirming the partner's intentions
  3. A verbal assurance from the partner's lead investigator
  4. A data use agreement specifying permitted uses, safeguards, and breach obligations Correct answer.

Explanation

A data use agreement creates binding, specific obligations covering permitted uses, safeguards, and remedies. Informal assurances and public descriptions lack enforceability.

Question 25Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

Which term describes the formal authority and accountability for a specific data domain, including decisions about its definition, quality, and access?

  1. Data stewardship
  2. Data custodianship
  3. Data consumerism
  4. Data ownership Correct answer.

Explanation

Data ownership assigns ultimate accountability and decision rights for a data domain to a designated role, typically a business leader. Stewardship and custodianship are delegated operational responsibilities that support the owner's decisions.

Question 26Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

A governance policy states that clinical data must be classified according to its sensitivity so that appropriate controls can be applied. Which activity is the most direct implementation of this policy?

  1. Backing up clinical data to an offsite location daily.
  2. Requiring all users to complete annual privacy training.
  3. Encrypting all databases that contain clinical data.
  4. Assigning each data element a sensitivity label such as public, internal, confidential, or restricted. Correct answer.

Explanation

Data classification is the process of assigning sensitivity labels to data elements so that handling rules and controls can be matched to each level. Encryption, training, and backups are controls that may follow from classification but do not themselves implement classification.

Question 27Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

A hospital wants to ensure that only authorized clinicians can view a patient's behavioral health notes while allowing broader access to general clinical data. Which access control approach best supports this requirement?

  1. Discretionary access control where each data creator sets permissions individually.
  2. Mandatory access control based solely on data labels without considering user context.
  3. Attribute-based access control that evaluates user role, data sensitivity, and treatment relationship. Correct answer.
  4. Role-based access control that grants all clinicians the same permissions.

Explanation

Attribute-based access control evaluates multiple attributes-such as user role, data sensitivity, and the existence of a treatment relationship-to make context-aware access decisions. This supports granular restrictions like limiting behavioral health notes while permitting broader access to general data.

Question 28Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

A steward is reviewing a data quality dashboard and must decide which issue to escalate first. Which criterion best reflects a risk-based prioritization approach?

  1. The issue affecting the largest number of records, regardless of clinical impact.
  2. The issue that has been open the longest in the ticket system.
  3. The issue with the greatest potential to cause patient harm or regulatory penalty. Correct answer.
  4. The issue that is easiest to fix with existing staff and tools.

Explanation

Risk-based prioritization ranks data quality issues by their potential impact, such as patient safety, regulatory exposure, or financial consequence. Volume, ease of fix, and age are secondary considerations that do not by themselves reflect risk.

Question 29Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

A governance committee is drafting a policy for responding to a suspected breach of patient data. Which element is most essential for the policy to include?

  1. A schedule of routine data backups.
  2. A catalog of all data elements stored in the enterprise warehouse.
  3. A list of all software vendors used by the organization.
  4. A defined incident response process with roles, notification timelines, and escalation paths. Correct answer.

Explanation

A breach response policy must define who does what, when notifications must occur, and how incidents escalate so that the organization can contain harm and meet legal obligations. Vendor lists, backup schedules, and data catalogs are useful governance artifacts but do not constitute an incident response process.

Question 30Healthcare Data Governance and Stewardship

An enterprise governance council is reviewing a proposal to adopt a new data domain. Which consideration is most important for determining whether the domain should be governed centrally or delegated to business units?

  1. The age of the source systems that supply the domain.
  2. The number of reports currently produced from the domain.
  3. The degree of cross-functional dependency and regulatory exposure associated with the domain. Correct answer.
  4. The seniority of the manager who proposed the new domain.

Explanation

Central governance is most warranted when a data domain is shared across functions or carries significant regulatory or safety exposure, because decisions must be consistent enterprise-wide. Report volume, proposer seniority, and system age do not determine the appropriate locus of decision rights.

Question 31Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

Which standard is the primary international terminology system for exchanging clinical terms in electronic health records and is maintained by SNOMED International?

  1. CPT
  2. SNOMED CT Correct answer.
  3. LOINC
  4. ICD-10-CM

Explanation

SNOMED CT is a comprehensive clinical terminology designed for semantic interoperability in EHRs and is governed by SNOMED International. ICD, LOINC, and CPT serve different purposes such as morbidity coding, laboratory observation identifiers, and procedure billing.

Question 32Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

A laboratory system needs a standard code to identify a specific blood test so results can be exchanged between institutions. Which terminology is designed for this purpose?

  1. ICD-10-PCS
  2. NDC
  3. SNOMED CT
  4. LOINC Correct answer.

Explanation

LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes) was created specifically to identify laboratory tests and clinical observations for exchange. ICD-10-PCS codes procedures, SNOMED CT covers broad clinical concepts, and NDC identifies drug products.

Question 33Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

In a terminology, the relationship in which a more specific concept is fully subsumed by a broader concept (for example, 'viral pneumonia' is a kind of 'pneumonia') is called what?

  1. Qualifier
  2. Subsumption Correct answer.
  3. Association
  4. Mapping

Explanation

Subsumption (the is-a or subtype relationship) links a more specific concept to a broader parent concept. This hierarchy enables reasoning and aggregation across concepts in a terminology such as SNOMED CT.

Question 34Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

Which organization develops and maintains ICD-10-CM in the United States?

  1. CDC/National Center for Health Statistics Correct answer.
  2. SNOMED International
  3. American Medical Association
  4. World Health Organization

Explanation

In the United States, ICD-10-CM is maintained by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, while WHO maintains the international ICD. The AMA maintains CPT and SNOMED International maintains SNOMED CT.

Question 35Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

What is the fundamental unit of meaning in SNOMED CT that represents a single clinical idea?

  1. Term
  2. Relationship
  3. Concept Correct answer.
  4. Description

Explanation

In SNOMED CT a concept is the unit of clinical meaning, identified by a unique concept identifier. Descriptions are the human-readable terms attached to a concept, and relationships link concepts to one another.

Question 36Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

A hospital wants to report diagnoses for reimbursement using a classification that groups diseases by body system and etiology. Which type of standard best fits this need?

  1. A reference terminology
  2. An interface specification
  3. A nomenclature of procedures
  4. A statistical classification Correct answer.

Explanation

ICD is a statistical classification designed to group similar conditions for reporting and reimbursement. Reference terminologies such as SNOMED CT provide detail and are mapped to classifications for aggregation and billing.

Question 37Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

Which identifier uniquely and permanently identifies a concept in SNOMED CT regardless of its descriptions?

  1. The preferred term
  2. The synonym
  3. The concept identifier (SCTID) Correct answer.
  4. The fully specified name

Explanation

Each SNOMED CT concept has a unique, permanent concept identifier (SCTID) that remains stable even when descriptions change. Terms and synonyms are descriptions that can be added or modified without changing the concept ID.

Question 38Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

A data analyst maps local diagnosis codes to ICD-10-CM to produce aggregate statistics. What is the primary purpose of this mapping?

  1. To preserve clinical granularity in the EHR
  2. To encrypt patient identifiers
  3. To enable grouping and statistical reporting Correct answer.
  4. To replace the local terminology entirely

Explanation

Mapping to a statistical classification such as ICD-10-CM allows data to be grouped into categories for reporting, trending, and reimbursement. The original granular data typically remains in the source system.

Question 39Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

In LOINC, what does the 'component' part of a fully specified test name describe?

  1. The time aspect of the measurement
  2. The substance or analyte being measured Correct answer.
  3. The method used to perform the test
  4. The specimen on which the test is performed

Explanation

LOINC names have parts including component (the analyte), property, time, system (specimen), scale, and method. The component identifies what is being measured, such as glucose.

Question 40Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

Which of the following best describes a controlled vocabulary used in healthcare?

  1. A defined set of terms with specified meanings used for consistent data capture Correct answer.
  2. A database that stores medical images
  3. A free-text field where clinicians type any narrative
  4. A protocol for transmitting HL7 messages

Explanation

A controlled vocabulary restricts and defines the terms that may be used so that data is captured consistently and can be interpreted reliably. Free text, image storage, and messaging protocols serve different functions.

Question 41Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

A clinical decision support rule needs to identify all patients with any form of diabetes. Which terminology feature makes this possible by allowing retrieval of all subtype concepts?

  1. The preferred term list
  2. The mapping table
  3. The subtype (is-a) hierarchy Correct answer.
  4. The description hierarchy

Explanation

The subtype hierarchy in a terminology such as SNOMED CT lets a query on a parent concept return all descendant concepts, capturing every subtype of diabetes. Descriptions and mappings do not provide this hierarchical retrieval.

Question 42Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

Which coding system is used in the United States to report outpatient procedures and services for reimbursement?

  1. CPT Correct answer.
  2. LOINC
  3. SNOMED CT
  4. ICD-10-PCS

Explanation

CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) is used for reporting outpatient procedures and services for reimbursement in the US. ICD-10-PCS is used for inpatient procedures, while SNOMED CT and LOINC serve clinical and observation purposes.

Question 43Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

What role does a value set play in health information exchange?

  1. It encrypts the codes during transmission
  2. It assigns a new identifier to each patient
  3. It replaces the need for a terminology standard
  4. It defines the set of codes from one or more terminologies permitted for a particular data element Correct answer.

Explanation

A value set specifies which codes from a terminology (or terminologies) are valid for a given data element, constraining and standardizing the data exchanged. It does not encrypt data, identify patients, or replace terminologies.

Question 44Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

Which statement accurately distinguishes a nomenclature from a classification?

  1. A nomenclature cannot be computerized, while a classification can
  2. A nomenclature is used only for billing, while a classification is used only for research
  3. A nomenclature and a classification are identical in purpose
  4. A nomenclature lists terms with definitions, while a classification groups items into categories Correct answer.

Explanation

A nomenclature provides a list of terms with definitions for precise description, whereas a classification organizes items into grouped categories for aggregation and comparison. They serve complementary but distinct purposes.

Question 45Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

A terminology server returns a concept and its synonyms. Which SNOMED CT component holds the human-readable strings associated with a concept?

  1. Concept identifiers
  2. Descriptions Correct answer.
  3. Relationships
  4. Reference sets

Explanation

Descriptions store the terms, including the fully specified name, preferred term, and synonyms, associated with a concept. Relationships define associations, reference sets group content, and identifiers are numeric keys.

Question 46Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

Which of the following is a key characteristic of ICD-10-CM compared with ICD-9-CM?

  1. It provides greater clinical detail and expanded code length Correct answer.
  2. It eliminates the need for external cause codes
  3. It uses only numeric codes
  4. It is maintained by the American Medical Association

Explanation

ICD-10-CM offers substantially more codes and greater clinical specificity than ICD-9-CM, with alphanumeric codes up to seven characters. It still uses external cause codes and is maintained by CDC/NCHS, not the AMA.

Question 47Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

In SNOMED CT, what does the 'is a' relationship primarily enable?

  1. Recording the date a concept was created
  2. Encoding the unit of measure
  3. Linking a concept to its specimen
  4. Establishing subtype hierarchy for inheritance and queries Correct answer.

Explanation

The 'is a' relationship defines the subtype hierarchy, allowing a concept to inherit the properties of its parent and enabling queries that retrieve all descendants. Specimens, units, and dates are captured by other attributes.

Question 48Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

A public health agency needs to compare disease trends across countries using a common international classification. Which standard is most appropriate?

  1. CPT
  2. LOINC
  3. NDC
  4. ICD (international version) Correct answer.

Explanation

The international ICD maintained by WHO provides a common classification for morbidity and mortality statistics across countries. CPT and NDC are US-specific, and LOINC addresses observations rather than disease classification.

Question 49Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

What is the purpose of a crosswalk (map) between two terminologies?

  1. To merge the two terminologies into one
  2. To delete obsolete codes
  3. To translate concepts from a source terminology to equivalent or related concepts in a target terminology Correct answer.
  4. To assign a preferred term to each concept

Explanation

A crosswalk provides mappings that translate concepts from a source terminology to equivalent or related concepts in a target terminology, supporting interoperability. It does not merge terminologies, delete codes, or assign preferred terms.

Question 50Medical Data Standards and Terminologies

Which statement best explains why SNOMED CT is described as a compositional terminology?

  1. It allows new concepts to be expressed by combining existing concepts with attributes Correct answer.
  2. It is limited to laboratory observations
  3. It requires every concept to be pre-coordinated before use
  4. It stores only numeric codes without definitions

Explanation

Compositionality means complex meanings can be expressed by combining existing concepts with defining attributes, rather than requiring a pre-built concept for every possible expression. This supports detailed, flexible clinical documentation.