Continuous Quality Improvement
Unit 2 Assignment
Question #1
Describe the three basic ways to implement CQI outlined in your Study Guide and outline how CQI has been introduce in your organization. If it has yet to be introduced, describe how you would introduce it referencing these three methods.
Answer
According to the Study Guide there are three ways to introduce Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI): 1. The quiet or whisper launch. It is suggested that “this is an effective way to begin if the staff or an organization are very cynical and do not trust new management programs.[1] The senior team launches their CQI program without any form of public announcements and deals with the better part of its implementation. 2. A pilot study is implemented to address one or two issues however this approach is limited, can be slow and may not change the organization’s culture. 3. The final method is to approach CQI and as an “organization-wide endeavor.”[2]
In our organization, there has been a combination approach using a quiet launch and then an organization-wide endeavor. In the early stages of CQI, senior management added this program to the Quality Risk Management Team. As time passed and accreditation came into the picture, it was apparent that more resources were needed. A Director of Quality and Organizational Performance was hired and the Quality Risk Management Team was renamed to Quality Risk and Accreditation. Along the way, senior quality consultants were incorporated into the mix and then came the departmental quality teams to provide leadership and education to all their respective departments. The process evolved very slowly at first until is became an organization-wide endeavor. During the course of this evolution, it was deduced that in order for the necessary information to return to the senior executive team the lines of communication had to be revisited. Today there is a direct linkage from the Chief Executive
Question #1
Describe the three basic ways to implement CQI outlined in your Study Guide and outline how CQI has been introduce in your organization. If it has yet to be introduced, describe how you would introduce it referencing these three methods.
Answer
According to the Study Guide there are three ways to introduce Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI): 1. The quiet or whisper launch. It is suggested that “this is an effective way to begin if the staff or an organization are very cynical and do not trust new management programs.[1] The senior team launches their CQI program without any form of public announcements and deals with the better part of its implementation. 2. A pilot study is implemented to address one or two issues however this approach is limited, can be slow and may not change the organization’s culture. 3. The final method is to approach CQI and as an “organization-wide endeavor.”[2]
In our organization, there has been a combination approach using a quiet launch and then an organization-wide endeavor. In the early stages of CQI, senior management added this program to the Quality Risk Management Team. As time passed and accreditation came into the picture, it was apparent that more resources were needed. A Director of Quality and Organizational Performance was hired and the Quality Risk Management Team was renamed to Quality Risk and Accreditation. Along the way, senior quality consultants were incorporated into the mix and then came the departmental quality teams to provide leadership and education to all their respective departments. The process evolved very slowly at first until is became an organization-wide endeavor. During the course of this evolution, it was deduced that in order for the necessary information to return to the senior executive team the lines of communication had to be revisited. Today there is a direct linkage from the Chief Executive