Continuous Quality Improvement In Healthcare

The writer who is the clinic manager of an urgent care center was given the task to investigate the increase in complaints regarding long wait times, inadequate or incomplete information from staff during visits, and the relatively small number of insurance types accepted at the facility. The goal is to examine three examples of quality initiatives that would increase patients’ satisfaction, and reduce health cost. In addition, the writer will defend the position on whether to accept Medicare or Medicaid as a potential pay source for the urgent care. Examine at least three (3) examples of quality initiatives that could increase patient satisfaction and potentially reduce healthcare cost. Support the response with examples that illustrate

These initiatives are taken from one out of the two quality improvement approaches that have been widely used in health care which is Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI). “Continuous Quality Improvement is an organizational process in which employee teams identify and address problems in their work processes. There are five dimensions of Continuous Quality Improvement: (1) process focus, (2) customer focus, (3) data-base decision making, (4) employee empowerment, and (5) organization-wide impact” (Shanks,

The information gathered helped the manager to identify the special-cause variation which was driven by (1) the number of medially complex, time-consuming patients each day; (2) the training needs of a new staff member; and (3) the overscheduling of new patients. With this information, the manager was able to work with both the clinical and administrative personnel to address these concerns and reduce both the variability and the average time. The second quality initiative is the focus on the customer. Every effort must be taken to “satisfy the patient/customer by meeting their expectation”. This can be done through surveys and allowing the patients to feel value; for example, a doctor ordering a MRI can be considered a customer because he/she receives the service of the radiology department. The last quality initiative is employee empowerment. This empowerment will allow the employees to improve their environment, but also advocates for change, and overcoming resistance among other employees. For example, the manager will work with both the clinical and administrative staffs to reduce the wait times, improve patients’ satisfaction, as well as incomplete