Ways Quality Circles and Feedback Loops are
used within Health Care Organizations to Strengthen Quality Management
Title
Quality
circles (QC) are described as groups of employees, that meet formally to
consider how to resolve problems that exist in a health facility, while at the
same time improving the organization’s production. Feedback Loop (FL) groups are likewise people, however
with this particular group, they act as an automated interactive voice response
system that initiates phone conversations with patients with the permission of
the patient. They then asks questions about the patient’s visit with the
healthcare organization and look for ways the visit could be improved. This blog will identify
ways QCs and FLs are used within health care organizations to strengthen
quality management initiatives and activities.
Quality Circles
One definition of a QC is that it is a participatory management
technique that recruit the help of employees in solving problems related to
their jobs (Karou, 2012). Examples of QC groups are policy review boards, risk
management councils, safety committees, and clinical quality councils. These
groups serve meritoriously for the hospitals they work in; they help the
organization by, problem identification, problem selection, problem analysis, they
generate alternative solutions, they select the most appropriate solution, they
prepare plan of action, they present solutions to management, and then help to
implement the solutions (Karou, 2012).
Problem identification is one of the primary functions of a QC group. A
company’s perceived problem is the very reason the group is called upon to
analyze specific functions within the organization that have questionable
performance (Karou, 2012). The purpose of this type of QC is to gather, fact
find and determine if an actual problem exist and label and name the problem.
Linked to problem identification is selection and analysis; these two functions
may be performed by the same group and often are. But in some situations,
perhaps for advanced technical reasons, a facilitator is needed to help guide
or keep the group on track. The analysis
and selection of the type of problem will directly speak to solution and
resolution (Karou, 2012).
Hospitals spend millions of dollars correcting and changing problem
processes in efforts to maximize customer service and minimize litigious
patient complaints (Karou, 2012). QC groups are also known by less formal actions
such as suggestion boxes, where feedback is provided in the form of written suggestions
for problems or possible changes believed needed repaired (Karou, 2012). QC groups are renowned
for improving performance, lowering cost, enhancing test results, and clarifying
clinical guidelines. QC groups help provide a more value added processes for
patient care and quality measures with early indicators of negative change in
performance (Karou, 2012).
Feedback Loop
The escalation of healthcare cost in today’s medical
society provide anxiety and unstable assurance to patients giving them ample reason
to have concerns over the affordability of healthcare (McLaughlin, Kaluzny,
2013). FLs and their processes provide healthcare organizations
needed tools and information to provide better value for patient satisfaction (McLaughlin, Kaluzny,
2013). Vital to effective patent care is the ability of providers
to be able to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of medical care
already provided, this is where FL processes play pinnacle roles in this
examination of quality (McLaughlin, Kaluzny, 2013).
There are a number of ways hospitals use FL in the care
of their patients, one such way is the use of surveys (Mehen, 2011). In studies
at the Cleveland clinic, response rates for in-clinic surveys were about 67%
positive, and out-side clinic surveys where slightly higher at 73%, while
mailed surveys only yielded a 24% return rate and a very meager 35%
favorability (Mehen, 2011). Clinicians used these results to make adjustments
to seven clinical processes and resent surveys for evaluation of services and
overall results netted an average of 15% increase in satisfaction across the
board (Mehen, 2011).
Health managers
of 306 branch offices and five call centers are responsible to manage direct
patient response through customer call-backs (Mehen, 2011). As an integral part of a new focus on
direct customer feedback that the firm’s CEO credits with turning around the
company (Mehen, 2011). There had been a precipitous drop in customers and their appreciation
of services, due to a variety of medical variable mostly centered on customer
service. Within three years the firm saw its revenues increase by 7% and
customer satisfaction jumped 25% (Mehen, 2011). While a lot of the health services industry met choppy financial
waters; through profits and investor contributions, net assets topped $113
billion by 2012 (Mehen, 2011).
References
Karou, D.
(August, 2012). Effectiveness of Quality Circles, Boston Medical
Review, 9 (4), pg. 6-13
McLaughlin, C. P., Kaluzny, A. D. (2013). Measuring
Consumer Satisfaction,
Continuous Quality Improvement in Health Care, pg. 181-196
Mehen, L.
(September, 2011). Feedback Loops are Changing Health Behavior,
American Journal of Sociology, 120 (3), p.701-749
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