My Lead in Quality Improvement

My Lead in Quality Improvement

Sarah Marquez
HCA 622
Quality Appraisal & Evaluation
August 18, 2014
Professor Harper

My Lead in Quality Improvement

Quality improvement is an organizational approach to improve quality of care and
services using a specified set of principles and methodologies. These principles of quality
improvement can be marked by measurements. The data abstracted is then used to determine
how to improve care and services. If I were leading an organization I would configure my
organization to be as adaptive as possible. Adaptation is a process by which leaders continuously
both assimilate information from their environments and then accommodate their organizations
to the specific contexts in which they are operating. Change happens every day and all around us.
Organizations must be aware of this and react appropriately in order to stay relevant. During
continuous periods of change, adaptive leaders must be open to signals from their environments
to be able to make fundamental and continuous changes in their organizations (Glover). Next, I
would then focus on the following important behaviors. First, I would focus on the importance of
patient outcomes and consumer needs. Second, I would encourage involvement with participants,
such as encouraging direct participation in teams by those individuals who implement the
processes being evaluated. Lastly, by ensuring that there is an emphasis on strengthening the
systems through analyzes and processes would be a must. Through an adaptive leadership role
and these three measures, I would make sure that efforts to improve were being made. Even if
there were no immediate drastic changes to quality improvement, my organization would still
learn valuable information and lessons.
Importance of patient outcomes and consumer needs is a valuable behavior not just in a
healthcare setting but in all business settings that provide services. According to Avedis
Donabedian (1966), outcomes, by and large, remain the ultimate validation of the effectiveness
and quality of medical care. Therefore, outcomes are extremely important measures to watch. To
reach favorable outcomes, I would advise my organization to promote healthy communication
2

My Lead in Quality Improvement

amongst each other and with the customers or patients. In a study called Effective PhysicianPatient Communication and Health outcomes: A Review, author, Dr. Stewart (1995), states that
the results of analytic studies of communication between physician and patient education were
found to improve patient health outcomes (p. 1426). Patient health outcomes can be improved
with good physician-patient communication. The studies reviewed suggest that effective
communication exerts a positive influence not only on the emotional health of the patient but
also on symptom resolution, functional and physiologic status and pain control (Stewart 1995 p
1429). By engaging in good communication skills my organization can improve quality
outcomes and also fill consumer needs. Consumers will feel confident in their care, when
thorough follow-through was conducted between them and the provider.
Another area that I would support to maintain quality improvement would be overall
involvement with all parties by distributing patient satisfaction surveys. I would link the
collection of data with our consumers and providers. Data collection at the patient and provider
level helps support multiple uses of the same data. Involving consumers, the patients, in the
design, administration and delivery of care is an excellent way for the consumers to take an
active role in their care. Quality improvement by involving providers and patients aids in a more
coordinated strategy for filling gaps. In the evidence base setting; stronger, more coordinated,
and evidence-based approach to disseminating evidence can improve diagnostic and assessment
strategies, stronger infrastructure for measuring and reporting the quality of health care, and
support quality improvement practices (Ahaus Huijsman, Minkman 1997). From a providers
point of view, quality improvement may be more efficient, providing more effective services to a
greater number of consumers with a reasonable level of satisfaction, therefor creating stronger
customer retention. By defining quality improvement from patients perspectives, provides better
3

My Lead in Quality Improvement

value for their money with improved safety, accessibility, and understanding of care. Patient
surveys are the documents produced that reflect the outcome of patient and provider efforts to
achieve their independent goals for quality improvement (Patwardhan Spencer 2012 p. 33). I
would use these tools to make the necessary changes to make services more patient friendly. The
effectiveness of patient surveys depends on several factors, such as design, standardization, type,
construct validity, internal/external validity, reliability, and reproducibility (Patwardhan Spencer
2012 p. 33).
In addition to patient surveys in my lead toward quality improvement, I would also want
to strengthen our systems by analysis of product and processes. I would seek out accreditation
for our company. Many accreditation programs are an extension of organizations and individuals
motivated to measure and define quality in their work. The majorities of accreditation bodies
include mission and vision statements; announce proudly the efforts to improve quality in their
respective fields. The Joint commission (a.k.a. Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Health
Care Facilities or JCAHO) is "To continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to
the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support
performance improvement in health care." There are several organizations that follow suit behind
JCAHO such as The National Association for the Education of Young Childres (NAEYC).
Accreditation is a conformity assessment process where organizations define standards of
acceptable operation/performance and then measure compliance with them. The pursuit of
quality in the private sector has been described as something close to the quest for the Holy Grail
(Hamm, 2007). Sharing best practices and lessons improving standards and guidelines and
improving measurement especially for outcomes are important to accreditation organizations for
private sectors. The roles of accreditation organizations public and private are to assure that
4

My Lead in Quality Improvement

healthcare entities adhere to rules and regulations pertaining to quality of care. The quality of
care healthcare organizations adhere to are continuously reviewed established and evaluated by
accreditation organizations.
Overall, similar to any other industry the healthcare industrys success is defined by how
well an organization supervises it resources, how successful the organization is meeting goals
that are set, and how well the organization matches up with its competitors. By setting up my
organization to be as adaptive as possible, they will be able to respond to change in a much
responsive way. The characteristics of management involving quality improvement that I would
establish would be designing products that customers desire, using best practices and effective
communication, and improving management quality as a whole. Through these action plans, I
would help lead towards quality improvement.

My Lead in Quality Improvement

References:
Ahaus, Huijsman, Minkman. (2007) Performance Improvement Based On Integrated Quality
Management Models: What Evidence Do We Have? A Systematic Literature Review. Internet
Journal for Quality in Health Care 19: 90104.
Glover, J. Article Two of A Series on Adaptive Leadership. Adaptive Leadership: Are
Are You Sailing A Square Ship?
Hamm, M. S. (2007, February 1). Quality Improvement Initiatives in Accreditation: Private
Sector Examples and Key Lessons for Public Health. Retrieved April 5, 2011, from Exploring
Accreditation:
http://www.exploringaccreditation.org/assets/documents/Mike_HammsBackgroundPaper.pdf
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2011, January 18). Resources for Quality
Improvment. Retrieved April 5, 2011, from Centers for Medicare & Medocaid Services:
https://www.cms.gov.
Patwardhan, Spencer. (2012) Are Patient Surveys Valuable As A Service Improvement
Tool In Health Services? An overview. Journal of Healthcare Leadership. 4: 3346.
Sewart. (1995) Effective Physician-Patient Communication and Health Outcomes: A Review.
Canada Medical Association. May 1, 1995:152 (9).
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2011, January 18). Resources for Quality
Improvment. Retrieved April 5, 2011, from Centers for Medicare & Medocaid Services:
https://www.cms.gov.