Quality & Patient Safety

PQO model takes on a successful new look

Patient Safety Monitor, October 1, 2009

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Quality improvement is something that UMass Memorial Medical Center (UMMMC) in Worcester, MA, has focused on since Robert A. Klugman, MD, senior vice president, chief quality officer, and medical director of managed care took over in 2007. One of Klugman’s main goals was changing the existing role of physician quality officers (PQO), which was similar to the traditional model, to a new and improved role.
At the time, the traditional PQO was responsible for a clinical department, and there was tremendous variation in the amount of work each was putting into improving the healthcare system. The variation between each department’s efforts in quality improvement work was one of the main reasons Klugman wanted to change the existing structure.
“A key component is engaging clinicians in this type of quality improvement effort and getting them on board with quality improvement work,” he says.

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