HCA 620: Healthcare Performance Improvement and Quality Management

Course Description

In the context of the continual transition of healthcare value to quality, students in this course will learn the fundamentals of performance measurement and how they are related to performance activities. Students will learn about and apply techniques and tools for reducing cost and improving care in health organizations. Through the study of operations management, students will be able to explain how operation and process improvement relates to healthcare trends. While examining a range of tools for managing and improving quality, students will be able to identify their application within health services organizations. (3 credits)

Associated Program Learning Outcomes

  • #4. Develop health care delivery goals and standards to lead organizations in quality care initiatives.
  • #5. Assess customer service and client satisfaction for continuous performance improvement.
  • #9. Explain the connection between the regulatory and voluntary accrediting standards and health care policies and procedures.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

  1. Recognize and explain performance measures and their component parts.
  2. Interpret opportunities for improvement in healthcare settings.
  3. Identify data quality concerns and articulate consequences of poor-quality data.
  4. Performance iImprovement tools to a quality improvement project.
  5. Compare and contrast the difference between quality improvement systems and tools.
  6. Assess patient experience results.
  7. Evaluate the dimensions of healthcare performance.
  8. Report patient safety data in a performance report.
  9. Analyze how the definition of Population Health should be shaped by the principles of health equity and socioeconomic determinants of health.
  10. Recommend guidelines to multiple stakeholders.
  11. Compare and contrast accreditation and regulation and analyze their impact on healthcare.
  12. Determine appropriate use of healthcare services.
  13. Evaluate the impact of measurement burden in value-based purchasing and performance improvement.
  14. Perform a rapid cycle improvement project.
  15. Measure the effectiveness of an improvement project.
  16. Design a performance improvement measurement plan.

Course Activities and Grading

AssignmentsWeight

Discussions – 10 pts each (90 pts total) [Weeks 1-6 & 8]

40%

Workbook Assignments – 15 pts each (120 pts total) [Weeks 1-7]

40%

Week 8 Final Project – 50 pts

20%

Total

100%

Required Textbooks

Available through Charter Oak State College's Book Bundle

  • Nash. The Healthcare Quality Book: Vision, Strategy, and Tools. 4th ed. Health Administration Press, 2019. ISBN-13: 9781640550537
  • Spath.Healthcare Quality Management Student Workbook. 5th Brown-Spath & Associates, 2019. ISBN-13: 9781929955497

Course Schedule

Week

PLOs

SLOs

Readings and Exercises

Assignments

1

4

1,2

Topics: The Foundation of Healthcare Quality / Quality Management Building Blocks

  • Readings:
    • The Healthcare Quality Book: Chapters 1, 2, 3
    • PowerPoint presentations:
      • Overview of Healthcare Quality
      • History and Quality Landscape
  • Review Getting Started information
  • Review course syllabus
  • Introduce yourself
  • Discussion
  • Workbook Assignments:
    • Project 2-5: Performance Measures for a Home Health Agency

2

4,5

3,4,5

Topics: Quality Framework / Measuring & Evaluating Performance

  • Readings:
    • The Healthcare Quality Book: Chapters 4, 5
    • PowerPoint presentations:
      • Data Collection
      • Statistical Tools for Quality Improvement
    • Article: Taming the Measurement Monster
  • Read assigned chapters
  • Review the lecture material
  • Discussion
  • Workbook Assignment:
    • Project 6-6: Recognize Use for Common Performance Improvement Tools

3

4,5

6,7

Topics: Measuring, Improving Care & Creating A Culture of Safety and Reliability – Part 1

  • Readings:
    • The Healthcare Quality Book: Chapters 6, 7,8
    • PowerPoint presentations:
      • Physician Profiling and Provider
      • Health Information Technology in Healthcare Quality and Safety
      • Simulation in Healthcare Quality and Safety
    • Article: (PDF) AHA Hospital Variation Guide

 

  • Read assigned chapter
  • Review the lecture material
  • Discussion
  • Workbook Assignment:
    • Project 3-5: Query an Online Data Source of Patient Experience Measure Results

4

5

8,9

Topics: Measuring, Improving Care & Creating A Culture of Safety and Reliability – Part 2

  • Readings:
    • The Healthcare Quality Book: Chapters 9, 14, 19
    • PowerPoint presentations:
      • The Patient Experience
      • Ambulatory Quality & Safety
      • Population Health Safety & Quality
    • Article: Can Patient Partners Make Healthcare Safer

 

  • Read assigned chapters
  • Review the lecture material
  • Discussion
  • Workbook Assignment:
    • Project 7-3: Report Patient Safety Measurement Data

5

4,9

10,11

Topic: Research, Drivers in the Quality Improvement Landscape and Accreditation – Part 1

  • Readings:
    • The Healthcare Quality Book: Chapters 15, 16, 17
    • PowerPoint presentations:
      • The Role of the National Committee for Quality Assurance
      • Value-Based Insurance Design
      • Value-Based Purchasing

 


 

  • Read assigned chapters
  • Review the lecture material
  • Discussion
  • Workbook Assignment:
    • Project 8-2: Identify Medical Appropriateness Guidelines

6

5

12,13

Topics: Research, Drivers in the Quality Improvement Landscape and Accreditation – Part 2

  • Readings:
    • The Healthcare Quality Book: Chapters 10, 11, 18
    • PowerPoint presentations:
      • Safety Science and High Reliability Organizing
      • Education for Healthcare Quality and Safety
      • Medication Use Quality
  • Read assigned chapters
  • Review the lecture material
  • Discussion
  • Workbook Assignment:
    • Project 8-3: Use Criteria to Evaluate Appropriate Use of Healthcare Services

7

4

14,15

Topic: Quality as a Strategy

  • Readings:
    • The Healthcare Quality Book: Chapters 12, 13, 19
    • PowerPoint presentations:
      • Creating Alignment Quality Measures
      • Governance for Quality

 

  • Read assigned chapters
  • Review the lecture material
  • Workbook Assignments:
    • Project 5-2: Plan a Rapid Cycle Improvement Project
    • Project 5-4: Measure the Effectiveness of an Improvement Project

8

4

16

Topic: Final Project: Organizing for Quality and Measurement

  • Readings:
    • None assigned this week
  • Final feedback discussion
  • Final project

04072021

COSC Accessibility Statement

Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.

COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources

Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.