AHIMA RHIT (Registered Health Information Technician) — All Questions

When calculating staffing needs, one full-time equivalent (FTE) employee is generally considered equal to how many paid hours per year?

• a.1,040
• b.1,560
• c.2,080✓
• d.2,600

One FTE equals 2,080 paid hours per year (40 hours/week × 52 weeks). Managers convert workload and productivity data into FTE requirements to justify staffing. Note that productive hours are lower than 2,080 once paid time off, holidays, and orientation are subtracted, which is why productive-hour adjustments matter in real scheduling.

A performance-improvement team is using the PDSA cycle. In this model, the 'S' stands for:

• a.Standardize
• b.Study✓
• c.Sustain
• d.Schedule

PDSA stands for Plan–Do–Study–Act, a rapid-cycle improvement method: plan a change, do a small test, study the results against the prediction, and act to adopt, adapt, or abandon the change. 'Study' emphasizes analyzing outcome data before spreading the change. PDSA is one of the most widely used quality-improvement frameworks in healthcare.

A document that gives detailed, step-by-step instructions for how staff should complete a specific task is best classified as a:

• a.Policy
• b.Procedure✓
• c.Bylaw
• d.Mission statement

A procedure specifies the step-by-step 'how' of accomplishing a task, whereas a policy states the organization's overall 'what' and 'why' — the rule or principle. Bylaws govern organizational structure (for example, medical staff bylaws), and a mission statement expresses purpose. Distinguishing policies from procedures is a basic management competency for HIM leaders.