Addressing patient complaints about appointment delays requires a data-driven approach to understand the scope and causes of the issue before taking action.
Option A (Form a performance improvement team): A team is formed after data confirms the issue and identifies focus areas.
Option B (Perform a patient survey): Surveys gather perceptions, but objective data (e.g., actual wait times) is needed first to validate complaints.
Option C (Obtain waiting time data): This is the correct answer. The NAHQ CPHQ study guide states, "The first step in addressing complaints about delays is to obtain objective data, such as waiting time metrics, to confirm and quantify the issue" (Domain 4). This informs subsequent actions.
Option D (Initiate a new patient registration process): Changing processes is premature without data to identify specific causes of delays.
CPHQ Objective Reference: Domain 4: Performance and Process Improvement, Objective 4.5, "Use data to identify improvement opportunities," emphasizes collecting data first. The NAHQ study guide notes,
"Objective data collection is the initial step in validating complaints" (Domain 4).
Rationale: Obtaining waiting time data validates and quantifies the issue, aligning with CPHQ's data-driven improvement principles.
Reference: NAHQ CPHQ Study Guide, Domain 4: Performance and Process Improvement, Objective 4.5.

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a proactive risk assessment tool used to identify potential failure points in a process before they occur. It is widely used in healthcare to improve patient safety and reduce errors, particularly during major system changes like EHR implementation.
Steps in FMEA:
* Map the Process: The team outlines each step in the process (already completed in the scenario).
* Identify Potential Failure Modes (Correct Answer - Option A):
* The next step after mapping the process is to analyze each step for potential failures that could cause disruptions or errors.
* Consider the Consequences (Option D): Once failures are identified, their possible impacts on patient care and workflow are examined.
* Determine Root Causes (Option B): The team investigates why failures might occur and identifies contributing factors.
* Calculate Risk Priority Numbers (Option C): Risk is quantified using Severity × Occurrence × Detectability, helping to prioritize issues for improvement.
* Implement and Monitor Improvements: Solutions are developed, tested, and continuously evaluated.
Why Other Options Are Incorrect:
* Option B (Determine reasons for failures): This step comes after identifying potential failures.
* Option C (Calculate risk priority numbers): RPN calculations occur after failure modes are identified and analyzed.
* Option D (Consider consequences): Consequences are evaluated after potential failure modes are identified.
Thus, the correct next step is A. Examine each step for potential process failures.
References:
* NAHQ's "HQ Solutions: Resource for the Healthcare Quality Professional"
* Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) - "Using FMEA to Improve Patient Safety"