Information on this page is designed to present the basic concepts and fundamental principles of quality improvement.

Topics on this page:

• The Basics
• Tools/Tutorials
• For Reference

The Basics

• ACCF/AHA/AMA-PCPI 2011 Performance Measures for Adults With Heart Failure [PDF]
• An evaluation of the use of performance measures in health care by the RAND Corporation
• CMS Pharmacist Center
• The ASHP Discussion Guide on The Pharmacist's Role in Quality Improvement [PDF] - how pharmacists can participate in and lead improvements in quality of care
• CEO Survival Guide: Pay for Performance (Leapfrog Group)
• Society for Hospital Medicine QI Primer [PPT] - a template for teaching health care quality improvement
• Quality Success Story with an Innovative Pharmacy! Fall Prevention Program (PFPP) [PDF]
• Pay-For-Performance (P4P): Evaluating Current and Future Implications [PDF]
• Navigating The Joint Commission Performance Improvement Standards: Issues for Pharmacy [PDF]
• Applying LEAN to the Medication Use Process [PDF]
• FAQs - Answers to questions like: What is quality improvement and why is it important? What is the role of the pharmacy department in QI?
• Glossary - A list of frequently utilized terms relating to pharmacy quality improvement and their definitions.

Tools/Tutorials

• MATCH Toolkit for Medication Reconciliation provided by AHRQ
• Duke University Online Training: - patient safety and quality improvement training modules from Duke University Medical Center
• Kaiser Foundation Tutorials on Health Policy Issues - multimedia presentations on health policy issues, research methodology or the workings of government
• Society of Hospital Medicine Quality Improvement Resource Room (quality improvement training resources and disease-specific interventions)
• Improving Healthcare Microsystems Tools (Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center)
• Performance Improvement Toolkit from the USAID Prime II Project (step-by-step roadmap for performance improvement project management)
• NQMC resouce for evidence-based quality measures and measure sets
• Performance Improvement Tools from Loyola University Health-System
• Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research Tools and Resources

For Reference

• Six Sigma Primer [PDF]
• IHI White Paper on Lean Health Care
• What Does the National Healthcare Agenda Mean to Us? [PPT] - A customizable PowerPoint presentation with discussion points for managers to use during a departmental inservice.
• Rapid Cycle Methodology Quick Reference [PDF]