Continuous Quality Improvement Essay

Introduction The movement towards accountable care organizations and patient centered results has given a further impetus to the growing importance of continuous quality improvement in health care. Due to recent changes made to health care by the Affordable Care Act drivers such as payment model changes, consumer/patient preferences, and resource shortages have created further pressure to provide safe, reliable, high-quality, and cost-efficient care (McGrath & Blike, 2015). In fact many health care organizations are seeking internal and external performance improvement techniques/strategies to improve organizational sustainability. Building a solid foundation will require administration and leadership to facilitate a culture of change that is inclusive of all involving stakeholders.

Organizational Shared Leadership and Empowerment Continuous improvement according to Weston (2001) is a form of quality management that focuses on making small incremental improvements to a process that are out dated and outmoded in approach. A leader’s drive and willingness to improve upon processes that are ineffective will be critical in making his or her organization more viable

In order for a health care organization to gain trust and support it first must engage both external and internal stakeholders involved in the process. Effective continuous quality improvement takes into account the needs of administration, leadership, providers, and patients so that it may fully address the needs of each. In doing so organizations are establishing a partnership between each group that can lead to positive outcomes. According to Batson (2004) establishing partnership relationships promotes mutual respect, increases communication and collaboration, and helps to achieve organizational