Which item is used to report care quality issues within a home health program?

• A. Death at home
• B. Quality measurement data
• C. Start of Care
• D. PAEs

Answer: (D)

Potentially Avoidable Events (PAEs) are the mechanism used to report care quality issues within a home health program. PAEs capture events that reflect problems in care that could have been prevented, such as adverse events or near-misses, and this reporting prompts investigation, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions to improve quality and safety across the agency.

Death at home is an outcome and doesn’t serve as the reporting channel for quality issues. Start of Care is simply the initial assessment visit, not a system for flagging quality problems. Quality measurement data are the metrics used to evaluate performance, but the dedicated process for documenting and addressing care quality issues within the program is PAEs.