Handling customer complaints requires a prompt, appropriate response to address the issue and maintain trust, with escalation as needed.
Option A (Create a quality improvement team to address the concern): A QI team is appropriate for systemic issues, not an individual complaint, which requires immediate resolution.
Option B (Refer the issue to the appropriate department): This is the correct answer. The NAHQ CPHQ study guide states, "The first step in addressing a customer complaint is to refer it to the department best equipped to resolve it, ensuring timely action" (Domain 1). For example, a billing complaint goes to finance, or a care issue to clinical staff.
Option C (Direct the customer to put the complaint in writing): Requiring written complaints may delay resolution and frustrate the customer, not aligning with patient-centered care.
Option D (Review patient experience data for the department): Reviewing data is useful for trends but not the first step for an individual complaint, which needs direct action.
CPHQ Objective Reference: Domain 1: Patient Safety, Objective 1.6, "Address patient and family concerns," emphasizes prompt referral for complaints. The NAHQ study guide notes, "Referring complaints to the appropriate department ensures efficient resolution" (Domain 1).
Rationale: Referring the complaint to the relevant department ensures timely resolution, aligning with CPHQ' s patient safety and service principles.
Reference: NAHQ CPHQ Study Guide, Domain 1: Patient Safety, Objective 1.6.

A preventive care checklist is best suited to help identify health-determinant information in a patientpopulation. This type of data includes information on preventive health measures, such as screenings, vaccinations, and lifestyle interventions, which are crucial determinants of overall health. By analyzing this data, healthcare organizations can identify gaps in preventive care and address social determinants of health that may impact patient outcomes.
Payor claims (A): These primarily provide financial and utilization data, not health determinants.
Patient satisfaction (C): This measures perceptions of care quality but does not provide health determinant information.
Event reporting (D): This focuses on adverse events and safety issues, not on determinants of health.
References
NAHQ Body of Knowledge: Population Health Management and Social Determinants of Health NAHQ CPHQ Exam Preparation Materials: Data Sources for Health Determinants
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