Recent marketplace realities and trends have forced health care institution
s to adapt strategic orientations that stress a customer focus. Central to
such strategic orientations is the effective utilization of service quality
practices and philosophies. Toward that end, this research offers health c
are institutions an affordable methodology. A real-life application of the
rapid assessment methodology (RAM) in a health cave operational setting is
presented. Finally, a framework to guide the implementation of the RAM meth
odology is outlined and explored.