Total Quality Management, Continuous Quality/Process Improvement, and Ethical Issues

Total Quality Management, Continuous Quality/Process Improvement, and Ethical Issues
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Total Quality Management, Continuous Quality/Process Improvement, and Ethical Issues
What is the purpose of risk management?
Risk management can be defined as “a program designed to reduce the incidence of preventable accidents and injuries to minimize the financial loss to the institution should an injury or accident occur”(Kavaler & Spiegel,2003).The purpose of risk management is to identify possibility of a risks such as anti trust violations, breach of contract, and casualty exposure among others before they occur, risk control or response to significant risks and limit the likely liabilities or loss control. The other purpose of risk management is loss reduction in case an injury or accident has occurred. Overall, the purpose is to boost patient’s safety, forestall accidents and ensure the institution complies with law.
How is it possible to predict medical injuries?
Medical injuries refer to traumas or injuries occasioned by a physician’s malpractice or the health care’s general malfeasance. It is not really possible to predict that medical injuries will occur before they occur though, through statistical methods, it is possible to predict the likelihood of an accident or injury occurring (Kavaler & Spiegel, 2003).One example of a statistical method to predict the likelihood of “medical malpractice claims for individual physicians” (p.135) is the one developed by Gibsons.His investigations revealed that “risk of a claim increases for physicians between the ages of 40 and 60 years”(p.135),also, risk increases after the first claim especially in the first year after the claim.
How does the risk management department evaluate itself?
Risk management department refers to that unit in an institution tasked with the responsibility of managing risks on behalf of the organization. The department can evaluate itself to establish how it is faring in its assigned responsibilities through evaluating its performance levels or achievements against the set standards spelt out in the risk management program. This is done by risk managers after six months or one year (Kavaler & Spiegel, 2003).
Compare and contrast quality management, total quality management, and continuous quality/process improvement?
Accoding to Kavaler & Spiegel(2003), “Quality management is a formal systematic program by which care rendered to patients is measured against established criteria…as well as a management process of monitoring and evaluating quality followed by changes in the system of healthcare”(p.137).Total quality management on its part refers to a much better approach to management it “is a broad business concept that includes the continuous quality improvement (CQI) process” (p.138).It is a management process organizations use to improve their organization-wide activities to meet customers’ expectations. Continuous quality/process improvement is “a structured organizational process for involving personnel in planning and executing a continuous flow of improvements to provide quality health care that meets or exceeds expectations”(McLaughlin & Kaluzny,2006, p.3).The contrasts are that while quality management focuses on individuals within the system, total quality management focuses on the entire system and everyone and is broader encompassing the other two. Continuous quality/process improvement focuses on quality/process improvement. The comparison is that they are novel approaches to management focusing on the customer.<...