Detailed Explanation:
Hot spotting in population health is the strategy of identifying and targeting high-cost, high-need patients, often those with chronic conditions, to allocate resources effectively and reduce overall healthcare costs.
Option C: Identify and focus resources on high-cost, chronically ill patients This approach is central to ACOs' population health management, targeting those who need the most resources for better care coordination.
References:
Hot spotting is a widely used strategy in ACOs for focusing on high-cost patients, as highlighted in CPHQ materials.

To increase profitability of services covered under bundled payments, the healthcare quality professional should recommend starting with an analysis of efficiency. Bundled payments provide a single payment for all services related to a treatment or condition, incentivizing providers to deliver care more efficiently.
Analyzing efficiency can help identify areas where resources can be used more effectively, reducing costs while maintaining or improving quality, which is critical for profitability under bundled payment models.
Safety (B): While crucial, safety alone may not directly impact profitability under bundled payments.
Access (C): Improving access is important but may not directly influence profitability in the context of bundled payments.
Equity (D): Equity is essential for quality care but is not the primary focus when aiming to increase profitability under bundled payments.
Reference
NAHQ Body of Knowledge: Efficiency and Cost Management in Healthcare
NAHQ CPHQ Exam Preparation Materials: Analyzing Quality in Bundled Payment Models

According to NAHQ, one of the core competencies for healthcare quality professionals is education and training1, which involves designing, developing, delivering, and evaluating educational programs that support quality improvement and patient safety2.
When developing objectives for an educational program, the quality professional should follow the SMART criteria, which stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound3. These criteria help to ensure that the objectives are clear, realistic, and aligned with the desired outcomes of the program4.
Therefore, the quality professional should recommend stating the end result or desired outcome of the program, as this will help to define the purpose, scope, and direction of the program, as well as the criteria for measuring its success. For example, an objective for an educational program on infection prevention and control could be: "By the end of this program, participants will be able to identify and apply the best practices for preventing and managing healthcare-associated infections in their settings." The other options are not the best recommendations for developing objectives for an educational program, because:
A:using the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle of continuous improvement is a method for implementing and evaluating quality improvement projects, not for developing objectives for an educational program.
C:keeping the objectives specific to the short term may limit the scope and impact of the program, as well as the opportunities for learning and improvement.
D:tying the objectives to the organization's financial performance may not reflect the true value and outcomes of the program, as quality improvement and patient safety may have other benefits that are not easily quantified in monetary terms.
Reference: 1: Competency Framework | NAHQ 2: NAHQ Healthcare Quality Competency Framework 3:
[HQ Principles | NAHQ] 4: How to Write SMART Learning Objectives - Convergence Training: Writing Measurable Learning Outcomes - Gavilan College: Infection Prevention and Control Education & Resources - APIC: Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Worksheet | IHI - Institute for Healthcare Improvement:
Setting Goals and Objectives for Projects | Smartsheet: [The Financial Case for Quality as a Business Strategy | NAHQ]