THE ROLE OF QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IN TOMORROWS HEALTH SYSTEMS

Market forces are driving the rapid growth of new types of integrated care systems. These systems often bring together organizations which h ave historically been competitive profit centers, and impose on them n ew requirements to function as collaborative cost centers. Sophisticat ed buyers expect cost control along with documentation of improved out comes and decreased variation. Traditional management methods are simp ly inadequate to meet the radically new requirements of these new syst ems. This paper describes the basic elements of a transformational man agement method, and cites examples from the experience of the intensel y competitive Minneapoiis/St. Paul marketplace.