Developing a service line approach to quality improvement.
A specialty hospital in New England is undergoing a radical change in its quality program. It is shifting from a traditional quality assurance structure with 41 segregated committees to an integrated model based on service lines. The goals for this shift were fourfold: to reduce duplication of effort, to improve the level of integration of quality efforts across disciplines, to design a comprehensive system to evaluate care, and to enhance the communication of quality efforts. The article describes the rationale for selecting a service line model for performance improvement, the process of setting this change in motion, and the lessons learned along the way.
Quality Management Department, Women and Infants Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
K H
KH
Iannuccillo
G A
GA
Butler
J E
JE
McGuirl
D005260:Female; D006754:Hospital Restructuring / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011357:Product Line Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016730:Program Development / Q000379:methods*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012237:Rhode Island; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration*