Methods to the Madness
When it comes to quality improvement methodologies, CIO leadership will be essential by Mark Hagland
The term “quality improvement” has become omnipresent in healthcare during the past couple of years. But how many patient care organizations have put their money and effort where their collective mouths are?
“The whole purpose of Baldrige is to hold up role models for each industry,” says quality consultant James Shaw. “I find it a very helpful tool in helping other hospitals clean up their act.” In fact, says Shaw, president of Shaw Resources, Issaquah, Wash., a range of improvements must be made across patient care organizations comparable to the systemic improvements made in other industries in the past few decades. Administratively, “A much better understanding of process measurement is needed, and using measurement to make change. And that's everything from waiting times to simple things like escalation.”

Excerpt from "Healthcare Informatics 1/30/2007"