Quality Management in Health Service Organization - Term Paper Example

Quality management in health organizations Name: Institution: TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction…………………………………………………………..1 2. Quality improvement………………………………………………….1 (a) Client Requirements identification………………………………..2 (b) Designing of the Products Quality Characteristic…………………….2 (c) Product Quality Characteristics Optimization…………………….2 3. Quality Assurance………………………………………………………3 (i) Professional responsibility…………………………………...3 (ii) Tools for implementation……………………………………..3 (iii) Postgraduate training…………………………………………3 (iv) Continuing medical education……………………………….4 4. The Six Sigma…………………………………………………………4 5. LEAN thinking…………………………………………………………5 (i) The lean manufacturing………………………………………..5 (ii) Define Value ..............................................................................5 (iii) Identify Waste............................................................................5 (iv) Find the Common Elements........................................................5 (v) Plant Layouts for the Continuous Flows ....................................5 (vi) Hidden costs of inventory........................................................... 5 (vii) Reducing the Set-Up or Changeover Times................................6 6. Conclusion………………………………………………………………6 1. Introduction Management in any business or organizations can be defined as the action of coordinating the people’s efforts in accomplishing the desired objectives and targets by use of the available facilities effectively and optimally. Management practices comprise how to plan, organize, staff, lead or direct, and control any organization or efforts for the reasons of implementing a particular goal. Resources encompass the deployment and manipulation of human facilities, financial facilities, technological facilities, and the natural resources. Organizations are groups of sole human being or more entities. There are very many examples of organizations in which health service organization is part of. Since any organization could be perceived as a system, management practice could then be defined as the human actions, which include the designing, to facilitation of the production of valuable results from any system. This perspective brings about the opportunity of ‘managing’ oneself, a necessity of one who attempts to manage other individuals. Consequently, the management system in the health sector has borrowed many policies form the corporate world in its operations. (Westcott & Russell, 2003, p. 17). 2. Quality improvement The meaning of the term quality improvement is specific meaning in any business sector. This particular meaning, which doesn’t aim at assuring 'good quality', but instead ensuring that all the organizations or products are consistent, could be taken as having four major parts: the quality planning, control, assurance and continuous quality improvements. Quality management is aimed not only at the products/service quality, includes also the means of achieving it. Quality management thus utilizes the quality assurance and control of any process as well as any product so as to achieve a better consistent quality. The health service organization , like any other enterprise, has borrowed these quality management components from the corporate sectors in its daily running. (Rose & Kenneth, 2005, p. 41). Quality planning. Is the process whereby the managers identify the quality standards which could be relevant to that project and determine how to content them. Any Organization, irrespective of whether it is private, not-for-profit or public faces a long-lasting bombardment of suggestions about improving of the quality. The Front-line staffs in the health sector are often quickly plunged into the quality training workshops with the aim that it would improve their quality of management. The health officers attend several quality forums so as they would become acquainted with the most latest managerial strategies. The managers are constantly exposed to the Six Sigma, Process Management, Lean Manufacturing, Quality Awards etc. But still, the complaints continue to be heard from the health sectors. (Anton, Doug & Anton, 2006, p. 100). By planning the quality, the health practitioners observe some of these principles: Client’s satisfaction is given the priority: Quality is exhibited by the requirements of the clients. Prevention over inspection: It's preferable to avoid errors than inspecting the results and repairing the defects. Management responsibilities: Costs of quality usually have a management approval. Constant improvement: Becoming improved is an iteratively well thought-out process. (Dobb & Fred, 2004, p.292). (a) Client Requirements identification Discovering of client’s needs is the major mission of client’s necessities recognition. The health sector uses some various sources of information like directly interviewing the patients, questionnaires, any information about traders, information from their products and services etc. technique of excellence utility development, whereby a team of the company’s employees analyze some of the expected needs of the clients, is another better way for doing it too. The information which is gotten about the needs of the clients has to be completed by some different given product requirements e.g. by the legitimate laws or by the producer’s experiences with the same products. Affinity diagrams, which facilitate the creation of the basic structures of prerequisites, and systematic diagrams, which enhance the logical disintegration of needs are appropriate methods for the client requirements dispensation. (Pyzdek 2003). (b) Designing of the Products Quality Characteristics The needs of the clients are usually issued in a client language. The health practitioner interprets these requirements into a strong quantifiable merchandise quality features. The Quality Function Deployment, usually referred to as the House of Quality relevance is an appropriate instrument meant for the translation. The Design of product quality features aim values e.g. the essence of the personal necessities, the evaluated significance of the individual quality features and the benchmarked results. (Hoyle & David, 2005, p. 682). (c) Product Quality Characteristics Optimization Designing the products quality target values is examined with aim of achieving an optimum solution. Most of the appropriate methods are very applicable in this optimization. Complex examination of the designed products from several points of view is achieved by use of design reviews i.e. a sequential team assessment of the designs, which can be done with the objective of assessing the design capabilities to achieve the quality requirements, so as to identify any fault and to suggest any solution as a way forward . (Pyzdek 2003). Product failure modes and effects analysis is very crucial; a portion of the design review. The team analysis is the possible happening of failures in the designed products which are linked to their risks assessments. It is the basis for the suggestion and achievement of the actions. These which reduce these threats and maximize the health products. By using this approach, represents system method to failure prevention and facilitates the revelation of 70% to 90 % in these failures, which might arise when the products are being used by the clients. As an appropriate device for the quality characteristics optimization, the design of experiments is applied. Suitable experiments are often achieved on the product prototypes and their aim is finding optimal combinations of these quality characteristic values, which guarantee the best product’s utility values. (Hoyle & David, 2005, p. 682). 3. Quality Assurance Is the sum of any process of evaluation and stimulation of the quality of the medical practices through the measurement of the outcomes and comparing them with the up to date criteria and requirements in the medical field. Quality assurance ensures that any medical activity is systematic and regulated. It affects all levels of the medical fraternity and all the professionals working in the field of the health care. It succeeds because the doctors are accepting that their practices have to assessed by the professions and be compared with the requirements of the medical care and the established criterion. (Feldman 2005). Quality assurance could be: (i) internal, such that a group of doctors reexamine their individual results, (ii) External, whereby an external professional body reexamines the information of the Practice. The quality assurance is usually done in the following sequence: to - identify and select a quality problem, - identify the indicators, - prepare criteria, - prepare the tools for the data registration, - register the data, - analyze and assess the quality on the grounds of the data which has been registered, - compare any result from assessments with the present criteria, - take the steps to develop the quality on the grounds of that assessment of the data which is registered - check the results of any measure taken in improving the quality, Identify a subsequent quality problem based on the evaluation of the results of the preceding measures. (Meisinger & Wagner 2006). (i) Professional responsibility: Quality assurance is started and controlled by the professions. Thus, during this process, a criterion has to be applied that has been brought about by these professions themselves. The health Professions and any scientific organization are obliged to advance these quality criteria depending on their fields of specialization. (Meisinger & Wagner 2006). (ii) Tools for implementation: The medical specialists usually develop in their practice some tools that are essential for the implementation of any quality assurance project. Good record keeping aspects are indispensable conditions for any quality assurance project. Information about the examinations, diagnosis, treatments and the follow-ups has to be collected in a well structured approach. Professionally, the data has to be accessible and requires an implementation in their daily medical Practices. (Meisinger & Wagner 2006). (iii) Postgraduate training Trainings in the fundamental prerequisites of the quality assurance are very important. These include the collection and assessment of the information and the operation of the quality assurance project need to be the daily routine in the postgraduate trainings. The Trainees then practice specialists in assessing their performance in their medical practices continuously. (Meisinger & Wagner 2006). (iv) Continuing medical education: This is very important in maintaining the quality of medical practices. The medical specialists continuously are having medical educational programmes. Then these records are made available to the nationwide professional coordinating authorities where that body exists. Also some credit point systems, which are controlled by a nationwide professional authority, are exist for assessing the involvement in the progressing medical education for the particular medical specialists. In progressing medical educational programmes, the quality assurance of these medical practices are encouraged and should form part of these programmes which are offered in those fields.( Almeida 2007). 4. The Six Sigma The Six Sigma is a methodology which incorporates the statistical tools in identifying the fundamental few factors that matter most to improve the quality of any process and to generate a bottom-line result (Mikel 2000). It comprises Of four or five phases: • Defining the project, the goal, and any deliverable to the customer (internals and externals). • Measuring the present performance of these processes. • Analyzing and determining the root causes of these defects. • Improving the processes for eliminating the defects. • Controlling the functioning of these processes. Six Sigma aims at any defect and variation. It identifies any critical-to-quality (CTQ) element of any process— the factors which are most crucial to the customers. (Tennant, 2001, p. 25.) It also analyzes the ability of the processes and focuses on its stabilization through the reduction or elimination of the variations. (Mikel 2000). Thus, Six Sigma management ties quality improvement straightforwardly to any financial result. The Six Sigma objective is linking the internal process and system management to the end client requirements. Thus, the Six Sigma is a scientific methodology to management, propelled entirely by the data. The Six Sigma approach keeps off the use of some opinions like: “I think,” or “I believe.” Therefore the Six Sigma propels the health organizations to a more scientific modes of decision making on the basis of everything on the measurable data. (Wheeler, 2004, p. 30). The six sigma improves the quality through its analysis of data with the application of statistics to cite the root cause of the problems related to quality of the medical products. The statistical aim of the six sigma is centering the processes o target and reducing the process variation. Six sigma processes approaches zero defects with just 34 defects per million opportunities such so that the defect can arise. (Feo &Joseph 2005). The implementation of the six sigma methodology aims at the metrics and requires the support from the top medical personnels. They set the targets for the health sector and are able to have restrictions on the execution and achievement of the six sigma objectives. The focal aim of the top managers in the medical sector is making more profit even if in the falling market scenario. (Mikel, Mann & Hodgins, 2011, pp. 30) The six sigma targets at attaining optimum quality standards. By partnering with the major suppliers, is one of the fundamental interventions that the health sector makes using the six sigma method so as to attain a progressive improvement. (Peter, Robert & Roland, 2001, p. 229). The six sigma links the promotion of the employees and their rewards to the levels of the six sigma certification and how they usually participate in the six sigma projects. This improves the interests of the employees in improving the quality and enhances how they commit themselves to the goals of the medical sector. (Feo &Joseph 2005) 5. LEAN thinking Is a way of thinking (mindset), with a commission of achieving fully waste-free processes that are aimed at the medical sector customer’s success. This is realized by simplified and continuous improved processes in the health sector environments of trust, full employee and aspect involvements. It also entails the humanity, simplicity, flows, visibility, partnership and true values as viewed by the clients. (Walshe &Harvey, 2010, p. 175.). Lean productions cut down the costs & inventories exponentially to free cash. This is crucial in any sluggish economy. Also, it supports the growth through the improved production and quality, reduction of the lead time and freed huge quantities of the resources. (Womack 2003). (viii) The lean manufacturing. The important properties of the Lean manufacturing are the “Define Values” evidenced through the observations of the customers and then, “Eliminating Wastes to Make Value Flows.” The production mechanisms which are left standing after the testing against these criteria are the simple and the cost effective processes. (ii) Define Value With the clients demanding extra varieties and more features within a short time intervals, then the key to success is by understanding what properties are a built-in aren’t needed of wanted by the client in their individual “use environments.” (iii) Identify Waste After discovering the client’s definition of Value then the present processes and uncovers the wastes. The appropriate way of identifying the waste is by collecting the data and “mapping” the present processes. (iv)Find the Common Elements When there are complex mixed with several products, several operations, they need to be simplified. The query to ask is “Which criteria result to a grouping by the usual process flows?” after noting these key elements, the medical management then introduce product-process matrices that exhibits which product flows through which operation. ( Holweg & Matthias 2007). (v)Plant Layouts for the Continuous Flows In the recent decades, most of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industries had improvement efforts which had been by mistake focused on the direct labor cost. Categorically, these direct labor costs are ranging between 5% to 15% of the whole manufacturing costs. Concurrently, plant overhead expenditures are ranging between 30%-40% with materials comprising the other 50% to 60% of total costs. Yet, continually these efforts of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industries and plant engineers have been instructed so as to reduce the labor costs – or their automation out of existence. The bigger targets of the materials and overheads haven’t gotten the consideration they warrant. (vi)Hidden costs of inventory: The Handling of the damages The Material handling equipments and labor Obsolescence The Time wasted in detecting the errors Some Hidden problems, equipments and quality The Long lead times accelerated the urge for forecasting Therefore, the Plant layouts are the key in the elimination of these problems. The progressive flow production ensures that the value is regularly added to the products for the duration the products are in the plants. The deal situation is a one piece flow at and between the processes. The objective of any better plant layout is increasing the velocity of the products and making the production cycles more predictable. A preferable gauge of unbalanced plants is the occurrence of the inventory between any cell or assembly. Don’t give parts a change to doing anything but adhere to a prescribed, totally controlled paths through these plants. (MacInnes & Richard 2002) (vii) Reducing the Set-Up or Changeover Times They directly affect the inventory levels, the capabilities of running small batch sizes, minimized lead times, connected continuous flows, quality improvement etc. In this approach, the manager Identifies the set-up. Lists all the steps. Measures the time needed for all the steps. Uses video cameras in recording the procedures Distinguishes the internal from the external steps ( the internal steps are when the machine is stopped) Plots the current set-ups time graphs Converts several internal to the external steps possible Reduces the duration for the internal steps Reduces the duration for the external steps Plots the improvised set-up time graphs Defines the ideal set-ups Plots the ideal graphs and strives towards it Practices and improves . (Liker 2004). 6. Conclusion In conclusion, the management practice in the health service organization includes the maneuvering of the human capital in these business organizations with the objective of contributing to the achievement of the health enterprise. (Liker 2004) This refers to the effective communication: a health service enterprise working conditions (as contrasting to the physical or mechanical mechanisms), refers to the human facilitation and terms to some type of successful progression or system outcomes. As such, management practices are not the maneuvering of the mechanism (machines or automated programs), or the herding of any livestock, and could occur in the legal in addition to the illegal enterprises or environments. Therefore, due to the delicacy of the health service organizations, its management has to borrow a lot of the managerial practices form the corporate world for it to be run smoothly. (Cianfrani, 2009, p. 6). Reference list Almeida. (2007). A Component quality assurance process. Foundations of Software Engineering, doi: http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1295074.1295093 Anton, Doug & Anton .(2006). ISO 9001 Survival Guide, Third Edition. Virginia, United States: AEM Consulting Group, Inc. p. 100. Cianfrani. (2009). Cracking the Case of ISO 9001:2008 for Service: A Simple Guide to Implementing Quality Management to Service Organizations (2nd ed.). Milwaukee: American Society for Quality. pp. 5-7 Dobb & Fred. (2004). ISO 9001:2000 Quality Registration Step-by-Step, Third Edition. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 292. Feldman. (2005). Quality assurance: much more than testing. Queue, 3(1), doi: http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1046931.1046943 Feo &Joseph. (2005). JURAN Institute's Six Sigma Breakthrough and Beyond - Quality Performance Breakthrough Methods. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited. Holweg & Matthias. (2007). "The genealogy of lean production". Journal of Operations Management 25 (2): 420–437. doi:10.1016/j.jom.2006.04.001 Hoyle & David. (2005). ISO 9000 Quality Systems Handbook, Fifth Edition. South Melbourne, Australia: Thomson Learning. p. 686. Liker. (2004). The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the World’s Greatest Manufacturer. New York: McGraw-Hill MacInnes & Richard . (2002) The Lean Enterprise Memory Jogger. Chico, California :Paton Press Meisinger & Wagner. (2006). Integrating a Model of Analytical Quality Assurance into the V-Modell XT. 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Stepping Up To ISO 9004: 2000 : A Practical Guide For Creating A World-class Oraganization. Chico, California :Paton Press. p. 17. Wheeler. (2004). The Six Sigma Practitioner's Guide to Data Analysis. New York : SPC Press. p. 30 Womack.(2003). Lean Thinking. Mankato: Free Press. Read More