QI strategies in performance measurements - Essay Example

QI strategies in performance measurements One of the methodologies is the use of information technology to ensure that quality indicators and performance of the organization are in sync with each other. By use of this methodology which also entails several methods of implementation, it is evident that a lot of time spent in manual programming is reduced and even the mistakes that are constantly being performed by humans are avoided and hence the strategies proposed will be effective and hence the performance will improve. Even though this is effective, it requires a lot of technocrats to carry it out and this therefore means that it is expensive and will take time before implementation occurs. The other methodology necessary for integrating QI strategies and performance measures is the use of a framework. The framework should contain various guidelines on how the two above can be integrated effectively and even the dangers involved if the process and guidelines presented are not stipulated. The framework is the most effective and requires less technical expertise. This is however too simple to yield a good integration since some issues are not incorporated. The third methodology is having a combination of different methodologies. Since different methodologies have their own pros and cons when used on their own and may prove ineffective in integrating QI strategies and performance measures, a combination of several methodologies (for example the use of framework and information technology) will ensure that the pros of the methodologies are more than the cons and hence integration will be more successful. The disadvantage of this is that it will take more time for the combination to occur and also will require more technical expertise compared to just using a single methodology (Lighter and Fair, 2007). Choose one of these methodologies for your organizational QI plan. Explain why you chose this methodology over others. The use of information technology is most effective in the recreational facilities plan. This is because it requires less health care staff hovering around the patients and reminding them of their health conditions. It will also ensure that patients have freedom to enjoy the facilities without constant monitoring and also constantly being taken to their rooms for medication. This will therefore perfectly integrate the QI strategies and performance measures. Research at least three information technology applications—clinical decision support systems—as components of QI management. Describe each information technology application you researched. One of them is the Electronic Health Record (EHR). This is useful when it comes to keeping records of patients within a health care facility including their admission information and their progress. It is also useful since these records are long-term and can be referred to later on. With more patients being admitted and discharged, the EHR makes the tracking of these records quite easy and keeps figures accurate always. The other IT application is Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). This technology tracks the whereabouts of the patients and what they are doing in whatever part of the health care facility they are in. This is therefore a form of monitoring equipment effective without having to keep on following the patient. The patients in recreation areas can therefore be accounted for and managed without them having to constantly keep on reporting to the nurses’ desks. The other information technology application that is a component of QI management is the Automated Dispensing Machines (ADMs). This technology contains records of all patients within the facility including their medication and the time they are supposed to receive it. The patients do not therefore have to leave their recreational facilities to go to their rooms for medication but just have to use the ADMs and get their medication (McDaniel, 2009). How might these applications be used to help improve the performance area you chose for your organization? Since the area of improvement is the recreational service, these IT applications are very effective in ensuring that the recreational time for the patients is not interrupted by them having to keep on reporting to the nurse on duty of their whereabouts or have to leave numerous times to go take medication when it is time to do so. They just have to know and be assisted in using the technologies and their recreational sessions go on uninterrupted. Lack of constant interruption of the recreation time is what will make the terminally ill patients forget about their problems and concentrate on what is making them happy at that moment without constant reminder of their health condition. Research the involvement of benchmarks and milestones in managing QI. Describe how benchmarks and milestones are involved in managing the use of quality indicators. Both benchmarks and milestones act to keep the organization on its toes concerning their performance. This is because they are constantly challenged about the quality they offer and how they deal with their major problems in comparison with other best performing organizations. Since the performance and quality of the organization is compared to that of other organizations that are performing better in that field, it challenges the organizations to emulate the quality management of the best performing organizations and integrate them in their organization to try also and improve the quality of their own organization. During the process of benchmarking, evidence of what is not being done right in relation to quality management is featured. This is compared to the success by the other organization on the same issue and hence tips on how to work on the unyielding quality indicators are got. If these tips and successful quality indicators are enforced, then the quality of the organization will improve and can even be categorized with the well performing organizations. Identify three potential benchmarks and milestones from quality indicators that could be used for your plan. One of the benchmark is the number of hours spent by patients in recreational facilities. The more time patients spend in recreation means that the less they think about their own health problems as they engage their minds and energy in other issues. With fewer thoughts on their problems, the more improved their health conditions will be and this is an indicator of quality being provided by the health care facility. The other benchmark is the freedom to engage in whatever form of recreation facility the patients want to instead of the service being chosen for them by the health care workers. This freedom is important to the patient in order to feel that they are still in control and are being treated like adults and not the invalids most of them have turned to be due to the terminal illnesses. With more freedom of choice, the patients become determined to get better and live longer and hence this is a quality indicator of the success of the services. A milestone for the quality indicator in this recreational service plan for the terminally ill patients is how to ensure that the really sick patients who are on bed rest also get to enjoy the recreational services and do so with the rest of the patients and not with hospital staff. The lack of proper planning for the needs of such patients may prove to be a setback in achievement of quality and god performance for the health care. Describe how performance and quality measures are aligned to an organization’s mission, vision, and strategic plan in general. The mission and vision of any organization is to excel in whatever services they are offering. This excellence is derived from satisfaction of the stakeholders and especially the clients aligned to the services of that organization. Improving the performance and even the quality of the organization therefore means that the mission and vision of the organization are being achieved. Strategic plan of the organization is to move forward and to achieve more and also greater things. This is possible if the performance and quality of the organization is excellent and hence performance and quality measures are important in enabling any organization achieve its mission, vision and strategic plan (Wang, 2011). Describe how the measures are aligned with the mission, vision, and strategic plan of your organization. The mission and vision of this health care organization is to keep the patients as happy and comfortable as possible and to avoid them thinking about their terminally ill medical status. In line with this, one of the strategic plans is to have recreational facilities and services that will constantly be engaging the mind and time of the patients to avoid them thinking about their diseases. In order to achieve the mission, vision and strategic plan, improvement of the quality and increasing the performance of these services for the patients is required. It is therefore only logical to have constant performance and quality measures in order to achieve the organization’s desires. References Lighter, D. E. and Fair, D. C. (2007). Quality Management in Health Care: Principles and Methods. New Jersey: Jones & Bartlett Learning. McDaniel, J. G. (2009). Advances in Information Technology and Communication in Health. New York: IOS Press. Wang, X. (2011). Performance Analysis for Public and Nonprofit Organizations. New Jersey: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Read More