Quality management is used by different organizations to serve a number of purposes. For example, it may be used to enhance the consistency of production and other processes. The concept is made up of four elements. The first is quality planning. The second is quality control.
Here, the aim is to ensure that clients receive products that are of high standards. The other one is quality assurance. The company guarantees the consumers of the high standards of their goods and services. Finally, there is quality improvement.
In this paper, the author will analyze a case study of quality management at Memorial Hospital. To this end, the author will analyze, among others, the ways through which the hospital may assess quality.
The potential costs of failures in quality for the hospital, as well as techniques for total quality management (TQM), will be highlighted. Finally, possible ways through which Memorial Hospital could assess the quality of healthcare provided to clients will be discussed.
Quality Management at Memorial Hospital
Ways through Which a Hospital May Measure Quality
Memorial Hospital can measure quality in two ways. They include analyzing treatments and procedures, as well as assessing outcomes. The former can be used to evaluate whether or not the employees are providing the right services and prescriptions to the patients as required.
The process involves selecting valid and reliable measures of quality (Vonderembse & White, 2013). The choices made when treating patients should produce results that can be compared to those from the government and other national organizations.
For example, the number of heart attack patients who receive aspirin prescriptions on arrival at Memorial Hospital and survive can be used to analyze quality. Outcomes are used to evaluate the success of various medical treatments and procedures carried out on patients (Hickey & Brosnan, 2012).
However, at times, results make the process of measuring quality a challenge. The reason behind this is because patients respond differently to treatments. The success of the intervention can be hindered by such factors as age.
Potential Costs of Quality Failures for Memorial Hospital
Quality failures have been reported in various healthcare institutions around the world. One potential case in Memorial Hospital may include failure to rescue a patient suffering from a complication. The phenomenon is considered as a vital indicator of patient safety.
Generally, the situation leads to mortality cases, which could have been prevented (Haugen, 2008). Such a failure can be measured by analyzing the death rates within a given period of time. For example, Memorial can compare the number of patients who died from surgery complications in February and in January.
A potential cost of quality for Memorial Hospital may entail the use of more resources and funds than expected to cater for the patients. To provide high quality services, the hospital may be forced to hire additional medical staff and purchase new technologically advanced equipment (Hickey & Brosnan, 2012).
In this case, Memorial Hospital may incur extra costs to cater for these additions. Such costs can be measured by analyzing expenditure records. The move helps the hospitals’ management to evaluate increase in the financial resources used to facilitate provision of quality healthcare services.
Total Quality Management Techniques that Janice Can Use
According to Mandal (2011), TQM is a procedure used to eliminate defects associated with various organizational processes. The first technique that Janice can use involves ensuring that the hospital operates as a customer-focused organization.
The medical staff should be familiar with the current and future needs of their patients. In addition, they should provide services that exceed clients’ expectations.
The second technique is process approach. The procedure will help the manager to improve processes at Memorial Hospital. The reason for this is that the desired ‘domino effect’ is achieved efficiently when tasks and resources are carried out as processes. Another idea involves focusing on continual improvement.
The approach entails constantly improving the processes involved in the provision of quality services (Mandal, 2011). By applying this technique, Janice can improve the performance of employees. As a result, there will be no room for incompetency.
Methods that can be used by Memorial Hospital to Assess the Quality of Healthcare Provided to Consumers
Memorial Hospital can evaluate the quality of its healthcare services using various strategies. The first approach involves examining the whole process of providing care. The strategy can be used to determine whether or not patients are provided with quality medical care (Haugen, 2008).
To this end, judgment is made by analyzing such aspects as the appropriateness of care, physical examinations and diagnostic tests, and technical competency.
The second approach the hospital can use entails studying the settings within which healthcare is provided. The method involves assessing such elements as the adequacy of hospital facilities and equipment, as well as the qualification of the medical staff (Vonderembse & White, 2013).
The third method calls for the analysis of medical care outcomes. It involves comprehensive studies of such factors as surgical fatality rates, recovery, and patient mortality. Other aspects to consider include in-hospital complications.
Conclusion
Quality management is an important aspect of any modern organization. Memorial Hospital can improve the quality of services provided to consumers by putting in place a number of measures. To this end, the management should put into consideration the qualification of the medical personnel, availability of equipment, and nature of outcomes.
References
Haugen, D. (2008). Health care. Detroit: Greenhaven Press/Gale.
Hickey, J., & Brosnan, C. (2012). Evaluation of healthcare quality in advanced practice nursing. New York: Springer Pub.
Mandal, S. (2011). Total quality management. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House Pvt.
Vonderembse, M., & White, G. (2013). Operations management: Concepts, Methods, and Strategies. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.