Safety and Compliance is 26 of the 100 scored items on the NHA CPT exam. Answer 10 exam style questions on quality control and lab operations and see exactly which concepts would cost you points on test day.
Start the 10 questions →On a Levey-Jennings chart, several control values in a row suddenly fall on one side of the mean at a new level. What is this called?
These questions cover quality control, quality assurance, regulations, turnaround time and equipment. Each one shows the correct answer and why every other option is wrong, so a miss tells you exactly what to review before the NHA CPT.
Prefer to read first? Every question from the practice set above, with the correct answer and why each wrong option is wrong.
Answer: A. A shift is an abrupt change where control values cluster on one side of the mean, often after a change such as a new reagent lot.
Why not B: A trend is a gradual drift in one direction over time.
Why not C: Random error is scattered, not clustered on one side.
Why not D: A delta check compares a patient's current and previous results.
Exam tactic: Sudden jump: shift.
Answer: B. A delta check flags a result that changed more than expected from the patient's prior result, which can reveal a mislabeled or contaminated specimen.
Why not A: Fire alarms are a safety check.
Why not C: Centrifuge checks are equipment maintenance.
Why not D: Counting tubes is inventory.
Exam tactic: Delta check = compare with last result.
Answer: A. The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) regulate laboratory testing on human specimens, including test complexity categories and quality requirements.
Why not B: EMTALA covers emergency care.
Why not C: HIPAA protects health information.
Why not D: FMLA covers employee leave.
Exam tactic: Lab quality law = CLIA.
Answer: B. Turnaround time is the interval from test order or collection to result reporting, a key quality measure for STAT and routine tests.
Why not A: Restocking is inventory management.
Why not C: Shift timing is staffing.
Why not D: Lobby wait is a separate service metric.
Exam tactic: TAT = order to result.
Answer: C. Maintenance logs show scheduled checks, cleaning and repairs were performed, which supports quality and accreditation.
Why not A: Patient results are kept in the LIS.
Why not B: Break times are not recorded there.
Why not D: Supply orders have their own records.
Exam tactic: If it isn't logged, it wasn't done.
Answer: D. Retention periods are set by CLIA, state law, accreditation standards and lab policy, and vary by record type. CLIA requires at least 2 years for most test records, 5 years for immunohematology records and 10 years for pathology reports.
Why not A: Retention does not depend on patient requests.
Why not B: Records must be kept much longer.
Why not C: Retention periods are defined; not all records are kept forever.
Exam tactic: Keep records per regulation.
Answer: A. The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) publishes consensus standards such as those for venipuncture, capillary collection and order of draw.
Why not B: The FDA regulates devices and drugs, not procedure standards.
Why not C: The USDA oversees agriculture.
Why not D: The FAA regulates aviation.
Exam tactic: Collection standards = CLSI.
Answer: A. Accreditation by an approved organization confirms, through inspection, that a laboratory meets quality and regulatory standards.
Why not B: Salaries and titles are set by employers, not accreditors.
Why not C: Medications are approved by the FDA.
Why not D: Driver's licenses are state issued.
Exam tactic: Accreditation = inspected quality.
Answer: A. mg/dL means milligrams per deciliter, a common unit in US chemistry results.
Why not B: mL per day is a volume over time.
Why not C: Micrograms per liter is µg/L.
Why not D: Drops are not a reporting unit.
Exam tactic: mg/dL: milligrams per deciliter.
Answer: C. Results are released only to authorized people through approved channels. Phlebotomists follow policy and refer requests to the appropriate staff.
Why not A: Tone does not verify identity or authorization.
Why not B: Releasing results to unknown callers breaches privacy.
Why not D: Personal devices are not secure channels and the caller is unverified.
Exam tactic: Results go through policy, not the phone.
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