Introduction
Quality improvement involves a set of activities that healthcare organizations systemically and continuously do to measure healthcare improvement and the health status of targeted patient groups. AHA is involved in various activities that help in quality improvement before and after restructuring: infection control, emergency readiness, reducing healthcare disparities, and appropriate medical resource use. Therefore, AHA ensures that its patients are safe and satisfied through the provision of quality services by member hospitals.
Developing and Implementing Quality Assurance, Satisfaction, and Patient Safety Programs According to National Initiatives on Quality and Patient Safety
Before Restructuring
AHA adopted various activities and programs to ensure quality services and patient safety. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), hospitals and other healthcare organizations must prevent medical errors and promote patient safety (2019). The organization encouraged member hospitals to utilize scientifically proven methods of patient safety practice while at the hospitals. For instance, the hospitals considered infection control by the use of chemicals and disinfectants when conducting surgeries. Moreover, the organization utilized the National Initiatives such as conducting basic medical examinations before admitting the patients. The examinations allowed the member hospitals to determine the health care a patient needed.
After Restructuring
After restructuring, AHA developed infection control, emergency readiness, and appropriate use of medical resources programs to ensure quality service and patients’ safety and satisfaction (AHA, 2019). The organization developed recommendations that address potentially most dangerous infections that occur in hospitals such as surgical sites and catheter-associated urinary infections (AHA, n.d.). The recommendations help the hospitals ensure that their patients are safe during service delivery. Health care disparities encumber access to quality medical services and facilities (Zhai, 2021). The organization is focusing on ensuring that everyone in the U.S. accesses the care they need and when they need it and that it is safely and efficiently delivered (Reducing healthcare disparities, n.d.). Therefore, upon restructuring, AHA adopted quality assurance programs and collaboration to ensure patients’ safety.
Developing and Tracking Indicators to Measure Quality Outcomes, Satisfaction and Patient Safety, and Plan Continuous Improvement
Before Restructuring
Quality health care and patients’ safety and satisfaction can be measured by tracking various indicators. The organization utilized basic data from the member hospitals to measure the quality outcome, satisfaction, and patient safety (AHA, n.d.). For instance, AHA utilized patients’ death rates to determine the quality of services offered and patients’ safety. Moreover, patients’ feedback was considered when determining their satisfaction. The collected data were compared with various member hospitals for continuous improvement.
After Restructuring
After restructuring, the organization adopted advanced and well-outlined mechanisms to measure the quality outcome. AHA adopted three measurements for quality services among its member hospitals: structural, procedural, and outcome indicators. The structural measures give the organization a sense of its member hospitals’ capacity, systems, and processes to provide effective and high-quality care (Dwyer et al., 2022). For instance, AHA utilizes the ratio of providers to patients in measuring the level of patients’ satisfaction and safety. The process measures help AHA track members’ actions to improve health (Angell et al., 2020). For instance, the measures reflect how the hospitals adhere to AHA infection control recommendations. Lastly, AHA outcome measures reflect the impact of health care service intervention including surgical infections rate. The measurements are conducted continuously for future improvements among the member hospitals.
Conclusion
AHA has adopted various programs to ensure quality service and patient safety and satisfaction. The organization encourages member hospitals to adopt scientifically proven measures to reduce infections. Moreover, the organization promotes programs that help reduce health care disparities among U.S. residents. Collaboration with other health care stakeholders has helped the organization develop activities for quality health care and patients’ safety. Meanwhile, the organization utilizes structural, procedural, and outcome measures to track quality outcomes, satisfaction, and patient safety for continuous improvement. The organization utilizes indicators such as provider-to-patient ratios and the number of board-certified physicians within member hospitals. Therefore, AHA prioritizes patient safety and satisfaction practices through quality services.
References
AHA. (2019). Quality & Patient Safety. American Hospital Association. Web.
AHA. (n.d.). Infection Control. Web.
AHRQ. (2019). Quality and Patient Safety Resources | Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality. Web.
Angell, S. Y., McConnell, M. V., Anderson, C. A., Bibbins-Domingo, K., Boyle, D. S., Capewell, S.,… & Warner, J. J. (2020). The American Heart Association 2030 impact goal: a presidential advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 141(9), e120-e138. Web.
Dwyer, A. J., Weltzien, E. S., Harty, N. M., LeGrice, K. E., Pray, S. L., & Risendal, B. C. (2022). What makes for successful patient navigation implementation in cancer prevention and screening programs using an evaluation and sustainability framework. Cancer, 128, 2636-2648. Web.
Reducing Health Care Disparities (n.d.). AHA. Web.
Zhai, Y. (2021). A call for addressing barriers to telemedicine: health disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, 1.