Quality Management Project – Case Study

Raymond, a 78-year old man living in a motel, is found lying on the floor of his room, semi-conscious, by a housekeeper. The motel manager calls 9-1-1, and Raymond is taken to the closest emergency department. There, he lies on a gurney in the hallway for 6 hours before he is examined by a physician. Because it is unclear what is wrong with him, and he cannot speak coherently, the physician admits him to the hospital for observation. Later, when it is determined that Raymond had a stroke, he is discharged to an inpatient rehabilitation facility on the same medical campus as your hospital. The rehabilitation facility had no knowledge of his medical history, including his current medications for hypertension and high cholesterol. Raymond died there several weeks later.

As a manager at the hospital profiled in the case study, identify one (1) area for improvement that can be gleaned from Raymond’s health care experience at your 200-bed community hospital and the affiliated rehabilitation facility.

Develop a SCOPE statement describing the area for improvement (see the example in the article). Be sure to include the following components and briefly explain each: a. background justification; b. quantifiable goals; c. a target completion date; d. suggested approach; e. membership including the sponsor, leader, facilitator, core members who are expected to attend every team meeting, extended members who are brought onto the team as needed; and f. macro-flow, which is a simplified, process- flow diagram of the current state, typically consisting of about six steps.

Recommend a solution to the identified problem, be sure that your solution is feasible. In 1-2 paragraphs, critically evaluate the plan. How did you address the cost-benefit-quality balance? Are there any possible consequences to your plan? If so, what?