Making quality the competitive edge

In competitive health care markets where patients have an increasing array of choices, quality is the most important differentiator for organizations striving for regional leadership. Top hospitals combine clinical excellence with a service orientation focused on providing safe and effective care and fostering a positive experience for patients and their families. Health care delivery organizations achieve this by instituting a culture of continuous quality improvement that emphasizes multidisciplinary participation in the measurement and management of the people, processes, and outcomes critical to safe and effective patient care and service delivery.

PHMI assists clients in developing strategies and programs aimed at producing clinical, operational, and professional improvements. These collaborations are rooted in a critical review of all aspects of the provision of care in the institution. From this baseline PHMI and the client institution work together to develop the appropriate organizational initiatives, train-the-trainer programs, and education programs needed to raise the standard of care and institute policies, processes, and systems that meet international benchmarks. Throughout this work PHMI fosters an ongoing dialogue between health care professionals, leadership, and external advisors in order to facilitate milestone improvements that can be nurtured and sustained within the institution’s quality culture.

Key questions

• How does the institution currently measure and monitor quality?
• What critical areas of improvement have been identified?
• What roles will physicians, nurses, support staff, and leadership play in improving quality and patient safety and developing a culture of continuous quality improvement?
• What role will professional development play in the development and maintenance of the quality culture?
• How can quality improvements, including new policies and procedures, be disseminated effectively to the wider organization or network?

Selected programs

• Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Led the creation and implementation of the regulatory structure for Dubai Healthcare City, including the development of rules and regulations for providers, required core operating process, and mechanisms to carry out regulatory oversight.
• Mumbai, India: Facilitated an intensive hospital-based quality and performance improvement initiative aimed at enhancing quality of service and resulting in accreditation by Joint Commission International 
• Chennai, India: Provided on-site training and education programs to support clinical and operational improvements in a 1,050-bed teaching hospital
• Athens, Greece: Helped to implement a quality management system and provided clinical quality management training to staff
• Istanbul, Turkey: Provided education programs on tools and methodologies used for clinical quality management