Dale Bratzler, DO, MPH, Medical Director of the Hospital Interventions QIOSC and the Hospital Quality of Care Measures Special Study of the OFMQ:

Dr. Bratzler summarized the summit take-aways:

• Research findings are consistent: it is feasible to measure governance and leadership to identify the characteristics of high performing institutions.
• Gaps in perceptions exist regarding the intent versus the reality in quality improvement, so we need measures to determine whether quality processes have become institutionalized throughout an organization’s culture.
• Front-line staff will focus on what they are accountable for, including quality improvement.
• Physicians need to be involved and need to have their incentives aligned to quality improvement.
• Boards of Directors, and other staff in the hospitals, need training in quality improvement.
• More focus is needed on assisting low-performing hospitals in quality improvement.
• We have a spread problem, not a discovery problem. Much common knowledge and learning has been presented, and now it is a matter of taking the information we have and spreading it among the hospitals nationwide.

In conclusion, the Quality Improvement Organizations (QIO) are eager to explore new ways to drive performance improvement. Dr. Bratzler hopes all summit attendees will help drive the process.