title: Linking quality and performance. Quality orientation can be a competitive strategy for health care providers.
abstract: Many organizations are not convinced a quality orientation pays off and are looking for ways to link quality with performance. The authors' exploratory study found that a quality orientation is a differentiating factor between low-performing and high-performing general service hospitals. They also developed a quality scale to assess the performance implications of quality-based strategies in the health care industry. Successful health care organizations (1) develop a strategic quality orientation at the management level, (2) support the pursuit of quality at the contact level, and (3) monitor external customers' perceptions of quality.
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Rapert
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Babakus
mesh_terms: D003258:Consumer Behavior; D003363:Cost Control; D004465:Economic Competition; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods; D006739:Hospital Administration / Q000145:classification / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D008330:Management Audit; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States