What's the Future of Quality?

This blog post is in response to May 2015 ASQ Influential Voices topic "What's the Future of Quality?".

The 2015 Future of Quality report is entitled “Quality Throughout.” After review of the 2015 Future of Quality report, I selected Health Care sector. The report shares an inspiring story of Dr. Devi Shetty, a renowned cardiac surgeon and founder of Narayana Health, India. He offered his view of challenges facing any effort to expand care throughout the developing world (see pages 34 to 39 of 2015 Future of Quality report).

The Health Care sector can make tremendous strides here in the USA and also around the world. Being a student of supply chain management, I would say the health care sector is a giant supply chain which is broken and needs major overhaul. There are too many players in the health care supply chain including pharmaceutical and medical device companies, insurance agencies, hospitals, physicians, nurses, hospital administrators, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), The Joint Commission (TJC), and various regulatory agencies at local, state, and federal levels. Unfortunately, the incentives are misaligned among these supply chain partners leading to local optimizations. Ultimately, the real customer (patient) ends up with a lot of runaround to get proper diagnosis and needed treatment to alleviate his/her sufferings.

In 2014, the US Heath Care cost was $3.8 Trillion with GDP of  $17.42 Trillion. This puts the US health care cost at 21.8% of GDP. Globally, the US spends maximum amount of money on health care, however, the US health care outcomes are not the best in the world.

We can learn best practices from the US Baldrige in Health Care winners since 2002. All 19 winners are listed below including their year of founding in parenthesis. Their Award Application Summaries can be used as Health Care best practices using the link provided. (http://patapsco.nist.gov/Award_Recipients/index.cfm).

         Ø2002 – SSM Health Care, St. Louis, MO (1872)

         Ø2003 – Baptist Hospital, Inc., Pensacola, FL (1951)

          Ø2003 – Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City, Kansas City, MO (1882)

          Ø2004 – Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, Hamilton, NJ (1940)

        Ø2005 – Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo, MI (1900)

        Ø2006 – North Mississippi Medical Center, Tupelo, MS (1937)

          Ø2007 – Mercy Health System, Janesville, WI (1989)

          Ø2007 – Sharp HealthCare, San Diego, CA (1955)

          Ø2008 – Poudre Valley Health System, Fort Collins, CO (1925)

Ø2009 – AtlantiCare, Egg Harbor Township, NJ (1975)

Ø2009 – Heartland Health, St. Joseph, MO (1984)

Ø2010 – Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, IL (1976)

Ø2011 – Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI (1915)

Ø2011 – Schneck Medical Center, Seymour, IN (1911)

Ø2011– Southcentral Foundation, Anchorage, AK (1982)

Ø2012 – North Mississippi Health Services, Tupelo, MS (1937)

Ø2013 – Sutter Davis Hospital, Davis, CA (1981)

Ø2014 – Hill County Memorial, Fredericksburg, TX (1971)

Ø2014 – St. David’s  HealthCare, Austin, TX (1924)

The definition of Health Care Quality practiced by the above winning organizations are:

       ØCaring and Compassionate Healing
ØProvide the Right Care, in the Right Setting, at the Right Time, at an Affordable Cost
ØPatient Satisfaction/ Delight
ØTimely Health Care Delivery
ØPositive Outcomes
ØMinimum Adverse Incidents (Zero Defects)
ØReduction in Mortality and Morbidity Rates
ØCost Efficacy
ØMeeting Compliance Standards

I look forward to hear your thoughts on Future of Quality in the Health Care Sector.