Semin Speech Lang 2006; 27(2): 080-088
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-939940
Copyright © 2006 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Health Care Quality and Safety Issues

Becky Sutherland Cornett1
  • 1Associate Compliance Director, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus Ohio
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
02 May 2006 (online)

ABSTRACT

Our health-care system is burdened with high costs, health-care disparities, overtreatment, undertreatment, high error rates, and fraud and abuse. At the same time, the United States has achieved spectacular medical advances using the latest technology. As a result, health-care quality measurement, publicly reported patient safety and quality indicators, and evaluation of patients' experience of care are watchwords of a new era of accountability for health-care professionals and organizations. The health-care industry is subject to increasing regulation, private sector challenges, and public demand to make significant improvements in all three components of the quality triad: structure, process, and outcome. This article examines regulatory initiatives and industry trends pertaining to patient safety and quality measurement and concludes with specific suggestions for the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology.

REFERENCES

APPENDIX A USEFUL WEB SITES

  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

  • www.ahrq.gov

  • The American Hospital Association (AHA)

  • www.aha.org

  • The American Speech-Language Hearing Association

  • www.asha.org

  • Bridges to Excellence

  • www.bridgestoexcellence.org

  • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

  • www.cms.hhs.gov

  • The Commonwealth Fund

  • www.cmwf.org

  • HealthGrades

  • www.healthgrades.com

  • Hospital CAHPS

  • www.ahrq.gov/qual/cahps/hcahpfact.htm

  • Hospital Compare

  • www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov

  • Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)

  • www.ihi.org

  • Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (IOM)

  • www.iom.edu

  • Integrated Healthcare Association

  • www.iha.org

  • Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO)

  • www.jcaho.org

  • Leapfrog Group

  • www.leapfroggroup.org

  • Medical Errors and Patient Safety (AHRQ)

  • ahrq.gov/qual/errorsix.htm

  • National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA)

  • www.ncqa.org

  • National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG)

  • www.jcaho.org

  • National Quality Forum (NQF)

  • www.qualityforum.org

  • Patient Safety Network (PSNet)

  • http://psnet.ahrq.gov

  • PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC)

  • www.pwc.com

  • The RAND Corporation (RAND Health)

  • www.rand.org

  • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

  • www.rwjf.org

Becky Sutherland CornettPh.D. 

Associate Compliance Director, The Ohio State University Medical Center

410 W. Tenth Ave, Rm. N143 DN, Columbus OH 43210

Email: Becky.Cornett@osumc.edu

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