HPEM 5360 Quality Improvement and Efficacy in Health

This course will develop the foundations of quality and process improvement that lead to higher levels of efficacy, efficiency and effectiveness in health organizations and programs. This course will explore the basis of quality improvement (QI) consisting of systematic and continuous actions that lead to measurable improvement in healthcare services and the health status of targeted patient groups. The methodology of the course will begin with “how things are done now,” considering healthcare performance as defined by an organization’s efficiency and outcome of care and level of patient satisfaction. Quality is directly linked to an organization’s service delivery approach or underlying systems of care throughout the continuum of care. The student will understand that to achieve a different level of performance (i.e., results) and improve quality and efficacy, an organization’s current system needs to change. Lastly, this course will focus on a successful QI culture that incorporates the following four key principles: QI work as systems and processes; focus on patients and community groups, especially rural areas; focus on being part of the team; and focus on use of the data and analyses of information.

Credits

3