For this Assignment, review Case 3, “Barriers to an Effective QI Effort,” in Chapter 11 of the text, Managing Health Services Organizations and Systems. Reflect on how you as a current or future health care administrator might address strategies to implement a quality improvement initiative. Consider the following questions: What considerations should you keep in mind to address quality? How does one measure quality and identify strategies to improve quality in an HSO? Then, review the Week 6 Case Questions document in this week’s Learning Resources to complete the Assignment.

The Assignment (2–4 pages):

• Complete the case questions presented.
• Be sure to provide support from the literature in completing the case questions.
  1.
  Use the principles of QI to outline a basic effort to improve quality in the ED
  Example to answer this question. Outcome measures (indicators)
  focus attention on a coordinating body, which here could be established only for
  the ED—even though a hospital wide effort is preferable. The coordinating body sanctions
  establishment of cross-functional QI teams to understand processes and recommend improvements.
  Intradepartmental teams may be established too. Individual ED workers who are process
  owners may be assigned to monitor and improve a process. The coordinating body would
  approve all major changes and expenditures. Details about The Joint Commission’s approach to
  quality/productivity improvement (Q/PI) are found in the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals

  2.
  Identify some control measures that Lester could
  use.

• Example how to answer of control measures
  that Lester could use include output control (ED admissions and discharges, patient satisfaction surveys),
  process control (times for key quality characteristics from ED process[es], staffing issues), and
  input control (relationships of ED MDs with EMTs and RNs [RNs have low morale, high
  turnover, and low retention]). The expanded control model shown as Figure 11.2 can be used to
  understand application of these control points. Recruiting a physician director of the ED must be a top priority because the leadership,
  decision making, and stability such an appointment will
  bring should reduce instability considerably. An obvious solution is for DH to contract
  with an ED group that will be the sole provider of physician services.