Selected CPHRM Advancing Health Care Risk Management Questions Answers

Under Health Care Risk Management standards aligned with ASHRM and the American Hospital Association Certification Center, employment interview questions must comply with federal and state anti-discrimination laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act ADA, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and the Immigration Reform and Control Act.

Questions about prescription medications may violate ADA provisions by eliciting information about potential disabilities prior to a conditional offer of employment. Asking whether a candidate plans to have children may constitute unlawful discrimination based on sex or family status. Inquiring directly about citizenship may violate federal employment eligibility standards; employers may instead ask whether the applicant is legally authorized to work in the United States.

In contrast, asking whether a candidate can meet the organization’s attendance requirements is permissible because it relates directly to essential job functions and business necessity. Employers may inquire about the ability to perform job-related duties, provided questions are applied consistently to all applicants and are not designed to screen out protected classes.

Legal and regulatory objectives emphasize nondiscriminatory hiring practices and adherence to equal employment laws. Therefore, questions regarding attendance requirements are appropriate in a job interview setting.

Laboratory testing is best understood as atotal testing process(from test ordering through specimen collection, analysis, and result reporting). Across this chain, error risk is heavily influenced byvariability—especially inpre-analytical steps(patient identification, tube labeling, specimen handling, transport conditions) andpost-analytical steps(timely reporting, critical value communication, interpretation). Risk management objectives emphasize controlling variation through standard work, barcoding, competency training, environmental controls, and quality indicators for each phase. Importantly, many lab failures arise outside the analyzer itself; focusing only on the analytical instrument misses major sources of harm. Reducing variability improves reliability, reduces redraws and diagnostic delay, and supports defensible performance in accreditation and event review. In short: the lab process chain is a high-volume, multi-step clinical production system—variation is inevitable, but unmanaged variation increases patient safety risk.

Marketing claims can create liability exposure when they reasonably induce reliance and the patient suffers harm. Depending on jurisdiction and facts, plaintiffs may allegeapparent agency(belief that physicians acted as the HMO’s agents),vicarious liability, negligent credentialing, or negligent misrepresentation/consumer protection claims if statements are misleading. Risk management objectives include reviewing public claims for accuracy, ensuring marketing does not overpromise clinical capability, and aligning network adequacy and credentialing with representations. Clear disclosures about independent contractors may help but do not always defeat apparent agency claims. Controls include legal review of advertising, credentialing rigor, quality oversight, and complaint surveillance to detect mismatches between marketing and actual service capability.

Boards are ultimately accountable for oversight of organizational risk, including patient safety, quality, compliance, and financial sustainability. While executives and risk leaders manage day-to-day operations, board governance sets expectations, ensures resources, monitors performance, and holds leadership accountable for corrective action. Risk management objectives at the governance level include approving risk appetite, reviewing top enterprise risks, ensuring systems exist for event reporting and learning, and verifying that mitigation plans are implemented and effective. In litigation and regulatory scrutiny, board oversight can be a critical factor: a board that demands transparency, tracks harm signals, and supports safety investment strengthens the organization’s defensibility and reduces preventable harm.