Experts estimate that between 30% and 50% of the costs of health care is in the cost of poor quality. The public has sent a clear message to the health care industry about their concern that we may lose sight of the individual patient relationship. Today, the leaders' work in health care is to transform current systems to better understand and serve the needs of customers, to eliminate unnecessary work, to reduce costs, and to increase value. In order to do this, quality must be the driving strategy. Leaders must recognize and commit to quality as a business imperative. This book explains to health care leaders, quality professionals, and providers what a commitment to quality means in terms of strategy, communication, and action. It provides a model, strategies, and practical action steps for moving an organization beyond control and compliance to build a quality culture, organizational agenda, and achieve results. Chapters address key quality issues including the following:Defining roles and responsibilities of leadersPartnering with the customer to define and achieve quality resultsBuilding a practical quality modelUsing measures for improvement and performance managementCreating the infrastructure for a quality-driven organizationReducing errors and increasing safetyCase studies of market leaders in quality Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.