Explanation: In the first year of a three-year accreditation cycle, performing a standards compliance gap analysis (B) identifies deficiencies and guides improvement efforts. Policy preparation (A), training (C), and new programs (D) follow gap identification. NAHQ emphasizes gap analysis as the priority.
NAHQ CPHQ Study Guide, Organizational Leadership Section, "Accreditation Cycle and Gap Analysis"; NAHQ CPHQ Practice Exam, Accreditation Preparation.

Detailed Explanation:
For a large population, a simple random sample of 400 charts would be sufficient to obtain representative data for statistical analysis:
Option B: Selection of 400 charts using a simple random sampling method Simple random sampling ensures each patient has an equal chance of selection, providing unbiased and representative results while being more manageable than reviewing all 8,000 records.
Option A: Selection of patients who had a visit during the last month of the year This could lead to biased results, as it would not be representative of visits throughout the year.
Option C: Selection of 800 patients using a snowball sampling method
Snowball sampling is typically used for hard-to-reach populations and is not appropriate for this scenario.
Option D: Selection of the entire population
Auditing all records would be time-consuming and unnecessary when a statistically valid sample can provide reliable results.
References:
CPHQ guidelines and quality improvement literature support the use of simple random sampling for representative data collection in large populations.

Organizations with a positive safety culture are characterized by communications founded on mutual trust12345. This is because trust forms the basis of open and effective communication, which is essential for maintaining safety standards and procedures. In such organizations, there is a shared perception of the importance of safety, and confidence in the efficacy of preventive measures12345. This shared perception and confidence stem from the mutual trust among the members of the organization. Therefore, mutual trust is a key characteristic of organizations with a positive safety culture.

Detailed Explanation:
Lean methodology focuses on identifying and eliminating waste in processes, such as delays in referral wait times. It streamlines workflows to increase efficiency and reduce wait times.
Option A: Lean
Lean is specifically designed to eliminate inefficiencies and streamline processes, making it ideal for reducing wait times.
Other Options:
Six Sigma focuses on reducing defects rather than waste.
Rapid cycle improvement and PDSA are effective for testing small changes but may not directly target waste reduction in the same way as Lean.
References:
Lean methodology, as covered in CPHQ resources, is effective for reducing inefficiencies and delays, especially in healthcare referral processes.