For this discussion use you’re Measuring Health Care: Using Quality Data for Operational, Financial, and Clinical Improvement by Yosef D. Dlugaczand the Internet to read and review the following:
-Read Chapter 3, “Using Data to Improve Organizational Process,” pages 41–64. This reading helps cement the thoughts behind gathering quality data and how this data is used in health care organizations. This chapter discusses the organizational process, noting the similarities and differences between different types of health care organizations.
-Read Chapter 4, “What to Measure and Why,” pages 65–93. This chapter provides a wonderful discussion on how we measure what we measure and why. While many may think measuring is all about patient satisfaction, it is not. We measure health care to ensure that we are providing the right treatment, at the right time, to the right patient, for the right reasons. Health care quality measurement is a growing field for health care employment.
-Review resources from the American Society for Quality (ASQ) regarding the Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) Cycle. Most health care quality initiatives are based on this simple complex first created by Deming to analyze management issues. This resource provides a nice application for health care use of this valued principle.
-Review the 2009 PQRI Measures List. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) help forge a plan for health care providers to measure and report on quality. The Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) is a very new concept of including physicians and other providers who bill using Common Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. PQRI has front-line providers as part of the data gathering to ensure that evidence-based care is provided to patients. By being part of the PQRI project, physicians and other providers gain financial reimbursement. While providing incentives to physicians to apply evidence-based care may seem odd, the provision of evidence-based care does promise significant overall cost savings and better patient outcomes
***Click Launch Presentation to complete the Indicators of Quality drag and drop exercise. You will be asked to identify indicators of quality. Be prepared to share your experience in this unit’s discussion. I will upload the Indicators of quality sheet.
1. National Organizations: Measuring Quality
Based on the national quality management organization you were assigned in Unit 1, (the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) consider the types of measures that your organization is involved in on the national and local health care scene.
In a 250- to 300-word response, discuss one specific measure or quality assurance activity that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality works on. Do you see evidence of these efforts in the hospital or in your community?
.2. Using Data to Improve Organizational Processes
Chapters three and four of the Measuring Health Care Quality textbook concentrate on methods to collect data and to use this data to improve an organizational process. Both chapters provide several case studies to demonstrate this process. Consider the quality process called PDCA (Plan Do Check Act) cycle. From work within an health care organization, consider other situations where data may be collected and used to improve an organizational process.
In a 250- to 300-word substantive post:
-Provide your own unique case study of a process that could be improved within your own organization.
-Discuss what types of data would need to be collected and how that data would be used to seek improvements.
-Provide your post following the Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) method.
Expert Solution Preview
1. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is involved in numerous measures and quality assurance activities on the national and local healthcare scene. One specific measure that AHRQ works on is patient safety culture. They have developed and implemented the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture, which is a tool used to assess the culture of patient safety within healthcare organizations.
This measure aims to evaluate healthcare professionals’ perceptions of patient safety issues, such as communication openness, teamwork, and feedback and communication about errors. By collecting data through surveys, AHRQ can identify areas of strength and areas for improvement in patient safety culture.
In hospitals and communities, evidence of these efforts can be seen through the implementation of strategies to promote patient safety culture. This can include regular safety trainings for healthcare staff, the establishment of reporting systems for adverse events, and the implementation of protocols and guidelines to prevent errors and ensure patient safety. Additionally, hospitals may publicly report their survey results to demonstrate their commitment to patient safety and transparency.
2. Within my organization, there is a process that could be improved involving medication reconciliation during care transitions. Medication reconciliation is essential to ensure patient safety and avoid medication errors. However, there are often gaps in the process during care transitions, such as when a patient is admitted or discharged from the hospital and when they transition between different healthcare settings.
To improve this process, data would need to be collected on medication errors and discrepancies during care transitions. This could be done through incident reports, medication reconciliation audits, and feedback from patients and healthcare providers involved in the transitions.
The collected data would be analyzed to identify common errors and areas for improvement. For example, if the data reveals that medication discrepancies often occur during the transfer of care between the hospital and primary care providers, interventions could be implemented to improve communication between these settings. This may include implementing standardized medication reconciliation processes, providing education and training to healthcare providers, and improving information sharing through electronic health records.
Following the PDCA method, the plan would involve identifying the problem and setting goals, such as reducing medication discrepancies during care transitions by a certain percentage. The do phase would involve implementing the identified interventions. The check phase would involve monitoring and evaluating the impact of these interventions through the collection and analysis of data. Finally, the act phase would involve making adjustments and further improvements based on the findings from the check phase.
