AHA, HRET leaders propose framework for accelerating national quality improvement

In a commentary in the American Journal of Managed Care, AHA and Health Research & Educational Trust leaders propose a framework for accelerating national quality improvement. “Learning from recent improvement efforts, we developed a four-step PLAN to accelerate the pace of spread from 17 to 1.7 years,” write co-authors Jonathan Perlin, M.D., president of clinical services and chief medical officer of HCA and 2015 chairman of the AHA Board of Trustees; Maulik Joshi, HRET president and AHA associate executive vice president; and Natalie Erb, HRET program manager. “The components of the framework are not new; they are time-tested and validated management techniques to bring about change. Despite the proven value, however, these techniques have not been applied at a national policy level in an effective manner.” They said the principles – identifying performance gaps, providing committed leadership, aligning actions with national policy, and demanding next steps for continuous improvement – “can help health care leaders and policy makers to accelerate improvement by an order of magnitude.”