ABSTRACT
This chapter provides some guidelines for how to establish and lead quality management and performance improvement (PI) teams. Each year, new quality or PI departments are created. Some are just one analyst, and others have a large staff of nurses, engineers, and economists. Once the PI department gains some maturity, however, management should shift its focus toward developing a portfolio of projects. The business concept should describe what the department or team will do, how it will earn revenue, and how it can be used to create organizational value. Sometimes quality departments charge back other areas of the hospital and thus generate revenue, but many times they are solely a cost center. Managing quality teams involves both internal analysts and external consultants, and a portfolio of projects in various stages. The next step is to begin converting the concept into a proposal that can be exchanged and discussed at multiple levels of the organization.
