Quality improvement by providers: market developments hinder progress.
Providers report maintaining, but not greatly enhancing, their quality improvement (QI) programs between 1999 and 2001. In addition, recent market developments are intensifying barriers to providers' QI efforts. A notable exception is the tremendous attention to medical errors, which is stimulating patient-safety activities in hospitals. It is too early to tell if the momentum from these activities can be sustained and provide a spark for revolutionary changes in QI more broadly.
Devers
Kelly J
KJ
Center for Studying Health System Change, Washington, DC, USA.
D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D006123:Group Practice / Q000592:standards*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006739:Hospital Administration / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007193:Independent Practice Associations / Q000592:standards*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007857:Leadership; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008485:Medical Audit; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D017751:Safety Management; D013192:Staff Development; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States