Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA) Practice Exam

A pie chart is best used to represent data that is part of a whole, allowing viewers to easily visualize the proportion of each category relative to the entire set. The choice regarding the percentage of discharges by third-party payer is particularly fitting for a pie chart because it illustrates how the total number of discharges can be broken down into segments representing different payer categories, such as Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance. Each segment conveys the share of discharges attributed to each payer type, thereby visually delineating their contributions to the overall discharge statistics.

In contrast, the length of hospital stay is typically represented as individual data points or averages, rather than as parts of a whole. Type of treatments administered may involve multiple categories and diverse treatments that do not lend themselves to a simple percentage breakdown suited for a pie chart. Patient age distribution usually calls for a histogram or bar graph because it represents a range of ages and frequencies rather than proportions of a total. Therefore, the representation of discharges by third-party payer aligns best with the function of a pie chart for illustrating relative proportions.