ABSTRACT
The Quality Management Team is a permanent team made up of the leadership of the radiology department. It may include hospital quality improvement personnel. The vision statement and guiding principles should become an integral part of the improvement process. A change in management philosophy such as accompanies the implementation of total quality management (TQM) will encounter a similar response. Implementing TQM is a process in and of itself, and the organization is best served by careful step-by-step planning and by educating personnel in the transformation. Broad-based involvement by all levels of employees, along with the total commitment of top management, is essential to implementing continuous quality improvement. Leaders pushing the implementation of TQM can occasionally confuse the process with the desirable outcome. This undermines the sense of empowerment promoted by continuous quality improvement. Supervisors are key to the successful implementation of TQM in a radiology department. This group is often better educated, more knowledgeable, and accustomed to problem solving.
