Quality Assurance

Question 1

Bon Scours health System refers to a non-profit healthcare providing organization which is sponsored by Bon Secours Ministries. The hospital’s headquarters are in Marriottsville, Maryland. The system controls nineteen acute care sanatoriums, 5 nursing care hospitals, one psychiatric facility, 14 home care and 4 assisted residing facilities (Bonsecours, 2014). The Bon Scours health System was established in 1983 in order to offer specialized unified management along with professional services whilst preserving the Catholic tradition of offering quality healthcare especially to the dying, poor and sick.  The system’s vision is to partnering with communities in creating a more humane society, building health along with social justice for everyone, also providing exceptional value for patients (Bonsecours, 2014).

Question 2

In order to continuously provide effectual ways of providing quality services in  Bon Scours health System for patients, a combination of obtaining better results for every patient, avoiding complications resulting from human error along with providing comprehensive care should be undertaken (Bonsecours, 2014). To be really successful every need require to be attained through a cost effective way since the system is non-profit organization and every step of the quality improvement will be documented.

This quality assurance strategy is not destined  to being a procedure which inserts an external authority that hampers the decision-resolving capacities of either physicians or administrators. Additionally these strategies are neither geared towards taking the time and concentration away from staffs’ core responsibility of caring and healing patients within the facility (HCAHPS, 2012).

The following quality assurance categories will be carried out in Bon Scours health System setting.

1. Infectious illnesses specialist will operate jointly with healthcare professionals to create standards that Bon Scours health System will utilize to manage and prevent infections in the facility
2. The system will undertake habitual clinical audits that will focus on data collection regarding conformity with the quality standards that are in place or being enforced. These audit reports will offer information regarding performance along with fulfillment of the set standards in addition to assessing patient outcomes.
3. Conduct mortality and morbidity assessments, these will be structured valuations of cases which result to a patient’s illness or death. These assessments are structured to assist healthcare professionals acquire a better understanding regarding problems which happen so as to improve the entire quality care moving forward (HCAHPS, 2012).
4. Adopt a program/system which will assess patient safety indicators. For example, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality offers a software program structure to assist administrators recognize the safety issues along with identification of vulnerable areas within Bon Scours health System service delivery. Once data is input in the patient safety indicator, the software program locates preventable errors along with departures from secure care measures occurring.   
5. Additionally in order of assessing the performance and determining how efficiently the patient safety system is operating within Bon Scours health System external quality controls will be introduced and practiced.
6. Ensuring strict adherence to infection protocols. Bearing in mind that hospital associated infections are mainly prevalent source of complication. Faultless hand hygiene along with additional infection safety requirements which will assist in avoiding patient infections will be established in every facility to caution and address physicians’ conducts (HCAHPS, 2012).
7. Additionally, the quality improvement strategy will involve emphasizing on ethics in every work practice. The hospital’s ethics committee along with training programs will provide advice also assistance to every healthcare staff on issues pertaining to legal accountabilities in addition to ethical decision making within the facilities’ setting.  
8. The establishment of antimicrobial stewardship, these are endeavors made to coordinate and maximize the usage of antimicrobials. Once antimicrobial stewards aid programs within facilities, the utilization of antimicrobials is managed most productively, resulting to improved outcomes for patient as well as reducing adverse events.

Question 3

Quality is a fundamentally significant aspect in healthcare provision. These quality improvement plans have been initiated from a patient’s requirements point of view or rather to address the patients’ welfare in totality. These quality improvement strategies will sustain Bon Scours health System’s proficiency in service delivery (HCAHPS, 2012). They are meant to once more raise the bar towards a higher quality level compared to others in taking care of patients in the most humane and cost efficient methods. Further these strategies are meant to boost physicians’ morale by addressing any unclear work related issues that may hinder them from providing efficient serves to patients.  Medical care performance score is expected to rise as a result of improved care outcomes along with patient experience (HCAHPS, 2012). This is a measure previously that the system has previously scored highly thus it is expected to rise.  Additionally the number of hospital linked infections will reduce dramatically once these strategies start being in operation. Patient openness is an aspect encouraged by the strategies since in order for the quality to be improved a patient is expected to participate by asking questions and giving advice regarding how well the newly introduced measures are working.  Administrators will be able enforce the above evidence based quality improvements which will work to guard not just patients but also staffs and community members at large. 

References

Bonsecours. (2014). Bon Secours Charity Health System Connect Care Support Staff Orientation Packet. Retrieved from http://bschs.bonsecours.com/assets/pdf/2014/connectcare_support_staff_orientation_packet.pdf

Bonsecours. (2014). Bon Secours Health System: about us. Retrieved from http://hso.bonsecours.com/about-us-about-us.html

HCAHPS. (2012). Quality Assurance Guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.hcahpsonline.org/files/HCAHPS%20Quality%20Assurance%20Guidelines%20V7.0%20March%202012.pdf