The Role of QI Programs in Healthcare Quality Improvement

bullet imagebullet imageQuality Improvement (QI) is made up of systematic and continuous actions that lead to great improvement in the healthcare service department; it is also geared to improve the health status of targeted patient groups. The Institute of Medicine is a well respected and highly recognized leader on bettering the United State healthcare system, and outcomes based healthcare they explain that the quality of healthcare is directly related to the amount of improved health services, and what the nation desires their own health to be.

Quality healthcare performance improvement believes that for the systems and results to change, the delivery of these methods need to be severely improved. Though every Quality Improvement program is in fact different, a helpful solution always incorporates four main principles. These principles are: QI work as systems and processes, focus on patients, focus on being involved in the team, focus on using the data. Focusing on patients, and patient system information is a must in quality initiatives in healthcare.



Being part of the team is also important, but the system requires a revolving wheel of people to make it work properly. Using data correctly helps technicians learn what's working and what's not, essentially saving lives and money. In order to effectively make quality and performance improvement in healthcare, organizations need a thorough understanding of their delivery process. Implementing healthcare performance improvments requires utilization of a tool called process mapping to better understand an organization's system and the best ways to work with it.

The healthcare industry is inundated with data daily, much of it recreational, but a lot of it is pertinent to the immediate health needs of patients. Clinical records, practice management systems, satisfactory surveys, and evaluations all exist in databases. Data being stored in an organized and useful way allows organizations to access it at crucial moments and assess performance throughout time. If a company wishes to narrow down its view on data for the QI program, they can establish standardized performance measures, and target certain bits of data that it may find useful. Easy and organized access to these files can be essential for the success of trial and research programs.

Quality Improvement programs require the use of systematic updates and activities that are well organized and used by organizations to monitor, check, and improve the quality of the nation's heathcare. This helps organizations seek greater levels of care over periods of time, optimize their care, and constantly seek to improve medical policies. QI programs encompass all QI activities throughout the organization. The future of healthcare will continue to be improved by the efforts of Quality Improvement programs.