Quality, continuous improvement

The chief executive should formally document the organization s quality policy. This policy should include the relative priority assigned to continuous quality improvement, the acceptable standard for quality, and the system to achieve that standard. 

Management should also install a process for quality improvement. Continuous quality improvement will occur only through a defined, planned, documented and systematic approach that involves eveiy employee. 

Self-assessment Self-assessment can help an organization to learn about its own strengths and weaknesses. Transforming a DRA into a learning organization which routinely conducts self-assessment and continuous quality improvement can be a powerful approach to enhancing dmg regulatory performance. 

Search and retrieval success requires continuous quality improvement... 

Hahn, G.J., and Boardman, T.J. (1987a), Continuous Quality Improvement Part 1, CHEMTECH, 17, 346-349. 

The history of the FDA is a story of continuously stepping back. Is the product free of contaminants Then step back and consider the process of production. Is the product well organized and safe Examine next the hardware and software systems that control that manufacturing process. Every time one level of concern has achieved industr3rwide predominance it is possible to apply the energies used to achieve that awareness and compliance to yet another previous step. The process is, in effect, continuous quality improvement in action. 

In the 1990s the major focus was on system validation, on assuring the quality control (QC) of the hardware and software that operated the manufacturing process, automated the laboratories, and controlled the inventory. As that validation process achieved mainstream acceptance and majority saturation it is appropriate to ask What next Where can we and the regulators most productively next turn our attention to maintain continuous quality improvement ... 

U.S. Army. 1998b. Generic Medical Continuing Quality Improvement Plan. Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. U.S. Army Program Manager for Chemical Demilitarization. 

Explain the differences between quality assurance, quality control, and continuous quality improvement. 

Outline the steps necessary for a successful continuous quality improvement plan. 

List the steps of a continuous quality improvement (CQI) model. 

Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is aphilosophy of continual improvement of the processes associated with providing a good or service that meets or exceeds customer expectations (Shortell et al., 1998). CQI, which was first employed in the manufacturing field, was introduced into health care by Berwick and Leape (1999). [CQI has been referred to as quality improvement process, total quality management, and total quality control (Lohr, 1990b).]... 

So what does this mean for pharmacy practice More pharmacists must understand continuous quality improvement and be able to develop, implement, and measure the outcomes of such a plan. This could provide an opportunity for a community pharmacy report card (quality measurement) system on which pharmacies can compete on the basis of quality. Such a system may provide a great opportunity for pharmacies to advertise quality outcomes to payers and patients. If such a system is successful, quality could drive patient choices and payer decisions. Ultimately the pharmacies with the highest quality may get more market share or obtain higher reimbursement rates for certain services. 

Blumenthal D, Kilo CM. 1998. A report card on continuous quality improvement. Milbank Q76 625. 

Matanin D, Cutrell D. 1994. A continuous quality improvement program for phenytoin IV. Hosp Formal 29 212. 

Newland S, Golembiewski JA, Green CR, et al. 2001. Continuous quality improvement approach to reducing hy-dromorphone PCA programming errors. Am J Health-Syst Pharm 36 710. 

Shortell SM, Bennett CL, Byck GR, 1998. Assessing the impact of continuous quality improvement on clinical practice What it will take to accelerate progress. Mil-... 

Zimmerman CR, Smolarek RT, Stevenson JG, 1997. Peer review and continuous quality improvement of pharmacists clinical interventions. Am J Health-Syst Pharm 54 1722. 

An additional continuous quality improvement strategy is to request feedback from patients who have... 

REVISITING THE SCENARIO CARE-RITE PHARMACY S CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES... 

As pharmacists who implement value-added services evaluate all they have accomplished, it is wise to do a little continuous quality improvement. They should identify the mistakes that they made along the way and think about how they can avoid making them again. They can also identify how they could have streamlined the process and created a better workflow for the service. Lastly, they may have conducted the project as a pilot project. These pharmacists will need to think about how they will expand the project in a seamless manner. 

Steps 9 and 10 involve assessing the effectiveness of the actions taken in Step 8 a continuous quality improvement (CQl) process (see Chapter 14) and communicating the findings, actions, and follow-up to the appropriate individuals involved. These individuals may be the patients, the provider, or the managed care organization. 

Continuous quality improvement (CQI), most simply, can be defined as a... 

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