title: Designing and implementing an outcomes-based performance improvement project: behavioral health care.
abstract: 1. All performance measurement and improvement initiatives should be planned. Planning should reveal the origins of the project, define and validate the project purpose, specify the desired effect of the project, develop project success measures, specify necessary resources, describe any constraints, anticipate problems, and specify milestones and deadlines. 2. An interdisciplinary team is usually created to implement the improvement project. This team is generally composed of staff from different disciplines, organizational entities, and levels throughout the facility. 3. Am improvement team typically consists of an executive coach, a team leader, a facilitator, and multiple team members. Sometimes a measurement specialist is included in the team. Additional subject matter experts serve as ad hoc team members as needed. 4. Data management is a process comprising the following discrete activities: determination of data needs, specification of indicators, definition of data elements, specification of data sources, creation of data collection instruments, determination of data analysis strategies, completion of a data collection plan, pilot testing of data collection and analysis, and modification of data management tactics based on the results of the pilot test. 5. There are two fundamental kinds of studies: quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative studies present numeric performance data, such as averages, correlations,and variation. Qualitative studies provide narrative data, such as content and theme analyses, and individual quotes. 6. Effective data collection requires valid and reliable data collection instruments and trained data collectors. 7. Analysis of performance data may be quantitative or qualitative and may compare an organization's performance to itself over time, as well as to external benchmarks. 8. Root cause analysis is based on tools such as the process flow diagram, cause-effect diagram, scatter diagram, Pareto analysis, and repetitive why to determine the causes of achieved performance. 9. Improvement ideas should be tested on a small scale by using a systematic approach such as the PDCA cycle. 10. Findings and results of performance measurement and improvement initiatives should be communicated to internal and external audiences via a variety of approaches.
mesh_terms: D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006285:Health Planning; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010348:Patient Care Team; D015397:Program Evaluation; D014481:United States