CPHQ study plan
CPHQ · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 8 hours per week
Organizational Leadership
Diagram the governance and reporting structure of a healthcare organization from governing body to unit-level quality councils
Differentiate the roles of the quality professional, senior leadership, and medical staff in quality oversight and accountability
Summarize at least three leadership or change-management frameworks and match each to a scenario where it applies
Draft the quality component of a strategic plan, linking two organizational goals to measurable quality aims
Your checkpoint
One-page governance-and-strategy map showing authority lines plus two strategy-to-measure links, self-scored against a 10-item rubric you write
Organizational Leadership & Performance and Process Improvement
Compare PDSA, DMAIC, and Lean, and select one for a described scenario with written justification
Identify the phases of an improvement project and specify the deliverable produced at each phase
Assemble a multidisciplinary improvement team charter with sponsor, scope, and boundaries
Explain how accreditation and regulatory requirements shape organizational quality priorities
Your checkpoint
Completed one-page project charter with aim statement, scope, team roster, methodology choice, and three candidate measures
Performance and Process Improvement
Select the appropriate improvement tool (flowchart, Pareto, fishbone, FMEA, control chart) for six described problems
Write operational definitions for two process measures and two outcome measures, including numerator, denominator, and data source
Construct and interpret a run chart, and identify signals of non-random variation
Sequence the steps of a root cause analysis versus an FMEA, and state when each is indicated
Your checkpoint
Measure specification sheet with four fully defined measures plus one annotated run chart with written interpretation
Health Data Analytics
Classify data as nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio, and choose summary statistics appropriate to each
Compute and interpret common healthcare rates including mortality, readmission, infection, and length of stay
Explain data governance, validity, reliability, and the data-collection workflow from source to report
Distinguish statistical significance from clinical significance in a published study summary
Your checkpoint
Score at least 70% on a 30-question self-written quiz covering Domains 1 and 3, with a written log of every missed concept
Health Data Analytics
Differentiate control chart types (p, u, c, X-bar/S) and select the correct one for eight described data situations
Apply special-cause variation rules to three sample charts and state the conclusion for each
Interpret risk-adjusted and benchmarked comparisons, and explain why adjustment changes the conclusion
Describe how sampling, denominator choice, and missing data bias quality reporting
Your checkpoint
Completed analytics worksheet: chart selection for eight scenarios plus written interpretation of two charts, checked against a rubric
Patient Safety
Distinguish active failures from latent conditions, and apply the Swiss-cheese model to a described event
Sequence the steps of an RCA and an FMEA, and select the correct tool for a given event type
Rank error-prevention strategies (forcing functions, standardization, checklists, human-factors design) by strength and reliability
Outline a just-culture framework, specifying the response to human error, at-risk behavior, and reckless behavior
Your checkpoint
Two-page event analysis for a hypothetical medication event, with causal factors, ranked interventions, and a just-culture response plan
Patient Safety & Organizational Leadership
Design one patient-safety program element (reporting system, safety huddle, or handoff protocol) with supporting metrics
Connect leadership structures and safety culture to adverse-event reporting rates
Write a disclosure and apology communication plan for an adverse event
Build a sustainability plan for an improvement, including control plan and re-measurement schedule
Your checkpoint
One-page safety program proposal linking a leadership lever, a safety intervention, and two metrics with targets
Organizational Leadership & Health Data Analytics & Performance and Process Improvement & Patient Safety
Complete two timed 100-question practice exams under exam conditions
Analyze missed items by domain and subdomain, and rank the three weakest areas
Re-study each weak area until you can explain it aloud without notes
Assemble a one-page exam-day reference of decision rules and formulas
Your checkpoint
Score log by domain with a written remediation plan demonstrating at least a 5 percentage point gain between the two practice exams
Milestones
Week 2: State the aim, scope, chosen methodology, and measure set of your project charter aloud in 60 seconds without notes
Week 4: Explain the measure-selection logic and three improvement methodologies in writing without notes, and score at least 70% on the self-quiz with every missed concept logged
Week 6: Walk a peer through how an adverse event moves from reporting to RCA to ranked intervention to just-culture response, then list your Domain 4 weak spots
Week 8: Score at least 75% on both timed practice exams with no single domain below 65%