Memorial Hospital
Discuss some ways that a hospital might measure quality.
There are many ways that a hospital can measure quality. To some extent, the quality as rated by the end user is one of the critical success factors. However, as the case mentions, this may not tell the full story. It is possible for clients to be satisfied with the care they received even though they did not receive adequate care. Therefore the metrics to measure quality must obviously be multifaceted. Patient perceptions should be a key component, but other considerations such as industry averages and industry metrics should be considered.
What are the potential costs of quality for Memorial Hospital? How could the value of a human life be included?
It is difficult to associate a financial value to the cost of a human life. Some estimates can put the value in the millions...
To the families of the patients the value can be virtually priceless. Memorial Hospital must balance many factors when determining its operational model. For example, if the hospital focused on providing the highest level of service in regard to state of the art practices, then it may not have the resources available to provide this quality of service to the patients that demand it. If the hospital does not use it resources effectively then it could also provide a low level of service to all its patients. Basically the hospital should focus on providing the best level of care possible with the level of resources available to the organization.
3. Are there any ideas or techniques from TQM that Janice could use to help Memorial focus on providing quality health care?
Deming's theories that he learned in Japan…
