Qi Plan Training Manual, Research Paper Example

A quality improvement plan for an organization is a road map strategically orchestrated to guide improvement processes necessary for the growth of the organization. It is an ongoing process improvement strategy that gets updated or changes to suit the latest environmental trends and challenges to demands. It is a vision for improvement, deliberately designed using already established processes and resources to implement the designed interventions (Lemak, Cohen & Dhawan, 2013). Quality improvement plan aims to increase the understanding of improvement practices and provide information to leaders who seek similar growth in their organizations (Ross Millar, 2013). Therefore, a quality improvement plan has to be a positive outcome driven, thus it must be efficient, adequate, and specific to the organization’s mission and purpose. The following is a four part training manual that introduces the purpose of a quality improvement plan and its components for new staff members in an organization.

What is a QI Plan?

A quality improvement (QI) plan is a detailed document which describes how an organization will manage, implement and review its quality improvement activities. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) (2011), the QI plan “serves as a road map” for all of the organization’s operational and clinical quality activities for the current calendar year and subsequent calendar years (pg. 2).  The QI plan is generally based on the organization’s mission, vision and goals along with the results of the previous year’s quality improvement activity results.  It also serves as the organization’s strategic plan for quality improvement outlining the monitoring and evaluation tools used by the organization.  The QI plan supplies the direction, timeline, activities and importance of quality and quality improvement for the organization (Minnesota Department of Health, n.d.).  Quality improvement initiatives or projects are created from the QI plan.

The purpose of the QI plan is to provide the organization and its stakeholders a formal ongoing process in which to monitor, measure, and evaluate the quality of services provided to patients (HRSA, 2011).  The QI plan “defines and facilitates a systematic approach to identify and pursue opportunities to improve services and resolve identified problems” (HRSA, 2011, pg. 2).  A QI plan forces the organization to do a self-assessment of the quality of service provided and provides the organization with a game plan to resolve issues or improve upon processes.

Components of QI Plan

An effective QI plan needs to include a description of the purpose, priorities, policies and goals of the organization’s quality improvement program along with the organization’s mission and vision statements (HRSA, 2011).  According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) (n.d.), the quality improvement goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely.  The QI plan should contain a description of the systems needed to implement the quality improvement program such as the QI committee structure and functions and member’s roles, responsibilities and expectations.  An outline of performance measures, data collection methods and tools, results presentation and a learning plan should be included in the QI plan (Rizzo, 2014).  Finally, the QI plan should include a description of how the plan will be evaluated and communicated.

Appropriate Situations

Quality improvement plans should be created after the organization has completed a self-assessment of its current quality improvement status and has identified opportunities for improvement.  Self-assessments allow the organization to identify strengths, weaknesses and barriers to successful quality improvement efforts (HRSA, 2011).  Utilizing a quality improvement plan will help the organization streamline quality improvement efforts.

References

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (n.d.). Module 14: Creating Quality Improvement Teams and QI Plans. Retrieved from http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/prevention-chronic-care/improve/system/pfhandbook/mod14.html

Health Resource and Service Administration (2011). Developing & Implementing a QI Plan. Retrieved from http://www.hrsa.gov/quality/toolbox/508pdfs/developingqiplan.pdf

Lemak, Christy Harris,PhD., F.A.C.H.E., Cohen, G. R., PhD., Erb, N., & Dhawan, Ajay,M.D., F.A.C.H.E. (2013). Engaging primary care physicians in quality improvement: Lessons from a payer-provider partnership. Journal of Healthcare Management,58(6), 429-43; discussion 444-5. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1467941130?accountid=458

Minnesota Department of Health (n.d.). Quality Improvement Plan. Retrieved from http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/opi/pm/lphap/qiplan

Rizzo, E. (2014). 5 core QI plan components. Retrieved from http://www.beckersasc.com/asc-accreditation-and-patient-safety/5-core-qi-plan-components.html

Ross Millar, (2013) “Framing quality improvement tools and techniques in healthcare: The case of Improvement Leaders’ Guides”, Journal of Health Organization and Management, Vol. 27 Iss: 2, pp.209 – 224