Introduction to Healthcare Quality Management, Fourth Edition

Healthcare quality can be a daunting subject, with its maze of regulatory requirements and plethora of approaches. Introduction to Healthcare Quality Management makes the topic approachable. It explains the fundamental principles and techniques of quality management in sufficient depth for readers to begin applying them, at an introductory level that does not overwhelm them.

This updated fourth edition includes a new chapter that addresses the problem of stalled or failed improvement projects. Many case examples are included in the chapter to illustrate common causes of project failures together with guidance for achieving success. It also discusses how measurement systems can reinforce and sustain performance improvement.

This new edition also features:

• New content about the application of popular lean tools and techniques
• Expanded coverage of statistical process control, including control charts
• Discussion of DNV accreditation requirements
• More details on the evolution of healthcare quality management

The sidebars, definitions, and references sprinkled throughout the chapters have been updated and expanded. Concise summaries and relatable examples from clinical, operational, and administrative settings have also been included.

This updated edition of Introduction to Healthcare Quality Management is an invaluable resource that helps readers understand and apply the many complex elements of quality management in healthcare.

About the Author

Patrice L. Spath, MA, RHIT, is a health information management professional with broad experience in healthcare quality and safety improvement. She is president of Brown-Spath & Associates, a healthcare publishing and training company in Forest Grove, Oregon. Over the past 40 years, she has written numerous books and journal articles and presented more than 350 educational programs on healthcare quality management and patient safety topics. She is currently an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Health Services Administration at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, an adjunct professor in the College of Health Professions at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, and a guest lecturer in the Master of Science in Medical and Healthcare Simulation program at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia.

Spath earned an MA in management from American Public University and a BS in management and health information from Marylhurst University. She is a certified registered health information technician, healthcare technology specialist in implementation management, and Lean project leader and serves as consulting editor for the monthly publication Hospital Peer Review. In 2020 she received the Distinguished Member Award from the American Health Information Management Association.

Kenneth A. DeVane, MBA, MS, is an improvement science professional with an undergraduate degree in engineering, an MBA, and a master’s degree in management science. He began learning the philosophy, approaches, and tools of performance improvement working in the aerospace and advanced materials industries. DeVane has over twenty years of experience successfully applying these methods in healthcare while leading, facilitating, coaching, and supporting a wide variety of clinical, operations and administrative projects that range from strategic initiatives to coaching frontline staff. He has presented and taught improvement methods at multiple hospitals, health systems and for professional organizations.

DeVane is an ASQ (American Society for Quality) Certified Six Sigma Black Belt and a senior member of ASQ. He also holds a silver level Lean certificate. His experience includes having been a senior examiner for a state-level Baldrige-based assessment program. DeVane serves as an adjunct faculty member at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon where he teaches courses for the School of Healthcare Administration and Leadership. In addition, he currently is a senior performance improvement consultant in the medical school at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon. His responsibilities include managing improvement projects and teaching and coaching others on improvement and analytical methods.