Healthcare facilities in the United States are working to improve the quality of health care while reducing the cost of health benefits. To achieve this, the facilities are implementing patient-friendly models. In order to ensure quality outcomes, health care organizations design and implement models that provide appealing patient care. My organization has developed a conceptual model that evaluates three outcomes of health for improving the quality of care provided to patients. These outcomes include service, quality, and resource stewardship. This paper will cover elements of the organizational model of health care performance, quality assessment, and management of my organization.
Organizational Quality Program, Goals, and Structure
The quality program in my organization is defined by the effective communication between the staffs in the organization and the patients and also the psychological aspects of both the patients and the staffs. Among the staffs, the nurses are the key elements whose role is to provide quality care. The goals and objectives of my organization are to improve patient satisfaction score, decrease mortality and readmissions, improve patient safety, improve core measure, and improve nursing-sensitive indicators. All the above-mentioned goals are key priorities areas in my organization.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The scope of the quality improvement (QI) program for my organization is founded on the patient and organization focused functions which are associated with the goals and objectives of the organization. QI is a framework used to systematically assess as well as improve the way a health care facility delivers care to patients (Knox, 2015). The organizational “structure of an improvement effort is composed of its human and material resources (Rakhmanova & Bouchet, 2017). The quality management structure of my organization is as shown in Fig. 1 (Appendix A).
Quality Improvement Projects-Selection, Methodology, and Management
My organization selected a structured approached to improve the quality of health care in the organization. To improve as well as maintain quality utilizing the entire team of the organization, my organization used Total Quality Management (TQM). TQM is a structured approach to improve health care quality. An important element in TQM includes the involvement of all the staff or employees in an organization working towards a common goal. The organization then used a Fishbone diagram to assess the possible causes of a quality problem. The Fishbone diagram, as known as Cause and Effect diagram, is a tool which can be used to brainstorm as well as map out possible causes of a quality problem (Cantiello, Kitsantas, Moncada, & Abdul, 2016). In order to manage the QI program, my organization developed a plan for the QI, which communicates the objectives and goals of the program (Cantiello, Kitsantas, Moncada, & Abdul, 2016). The management team also developed a quality assurance plan aimed to evaluate the performance of the program. All the necessary requirement of the program were documented to ensure the program succeeds.
Nursing Input and Sample Programs
To ensure a good fit, the improvement team ought to seek input from the employees as well as the patients. My organization is a health care organization sought input from the nurses. The nurses were to provide data regarding length of stays, readmissions, patient mortality rates, cases of infections, as well as other complications. Models that can be used for QI include Total Quality Management (TQM), Six Sigma, Lean, and Model for Improvement (Plan-Do-Study-Act [PDSA] cycles) (Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership, 2015).
Quality Improvement Training and Communication
My organization used numerous methods to train as well as communicate QI improvement in the organization. However, workshop-style teaching and seminars were the methods that were commonly used by my organization. The participants, the majority of whom were nurses, were trained at the organization. My organization also set an online course to train hospital nurses about quality improvement methods for safety. The training was aimed at helping the health care professional maintain and learn new skills and competencies. My organization developed a strong communications plan. It used multiple open communication channels, such as meetings, emails, phone calls, and other methods, to inform the employees about the QI program, the intended outcome, their role in implementing the change, and how the change will impact them. Targeted messages regarding QI dissented to frontline staff, middle managers, and governing entity.
Evaluation of QI Effectiveness and Outcomes
Data is one of the objective ways to evaluate whether an organization’s QI improvement efforts have been successful. To evaluate the effectiveness of the QI program, my organization collected data on patient’s length of stay, readmissions, patient mortality rates, cases of infections, as well as other complications. The organization established a critical team to collect this data and track it against QI measures and goals. In order to reflect how a QI program is working, an organization ought to monitor accurately the defined data outlined in the QI plan. The team was tasked to analyze and interpret the metrics to help the organization make better, data-backed decisions. From the analysis, the analysts found the QI program for my organization to be effective. The QI initiative resulted in positive outcomes. My organization was able to reduce the length of stay, readmissions, patient mortality rates, cases of infections, as well as other complications
Example QI Initiatives
My organization embarked on a QI program to address the issue of medical errors and poor healthcare quality. The QI program was aimed at changing the processes as well as the leadership structure in the organization to improve patient care. The quality improves initiative was composed of creating a board-level commission and included an established best-practices group. The QI also included replacing critical leaders and introducing new clinical guidelines and policies aimed at improving the quality of health care, communication, and transparency in the organization. The QI initiative resulted in positive outcomes. My organization was able to reduce the length of stay, readmissions, patient mortality rates, cases of infections, as well as other complications. My organization is a good example of how QI initiative can lead to tangible changes.
References
Cantiello, J., Kitsantas, P., Moncada, S., & Abdul, S. (2016). The evolution of quality improvement in healthcare: Patient-centered care and health information technology applications. Journal of Hospital Administration. Vol 5 (2); 62-68.
Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership. (2015). A guide to quality improvement methods. [Online]. Available at: https://nhfd.co.uk/20/hipfracturer.nsf/b83841ab51769e1d802581a4005978ed/205c2976b502ffc2802581ee0053a23f/$FILE/HQIP%20guide%20to%20QI%202017.pdf . Accessed 31 st May 2019.
Knox, L. (2015). Primary care practice facilitation curriculum. [Online]. Available at: https://pcmh.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/pcpf-module-8-approaches-to-qi.pdf . Accessed 31 st May 2019.
Rakhmanova, N., & Bouchet, B. (2017). Quality improvement handbook: A guide for enhancing the performance of health care systems. [Online]. Available at: https://www.fhi360.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/resource-quality-improvement-handbook-health-systems.pdf . Accessed 31 st May 2019.
