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.
Iannuccillo
K H
KH
Quality Management Department, Women and Infants Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Butler
G A
GA
McGuirl
J E
JE
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*