concepts of cqi

What is Continuous Quality Improvement? 
Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is an action of constantly evaluating and enhancing performance through ongoing organizational self-awareness. The term implies that quality already exists and is an uninterrupted cycle that produces a desire to improve the current state. Quality can be described as excellence, value, the highest or finest standard, or measurement of worth. CQI emphasizes the advancement of organizational processes, systems and functions and focuses on enhancing the processes, methods, or practices to any area with the aim to improve.

Continuous Quality Improvement is an all-encompassing practice and approach that recognizes both internal and external "customers"; utilizes objective data to identify, analyze and improve processes and yields a perceptive sense of awareness of the needs of the organization.CQI contends that most things can be improved, revamped or renewed. This philosophy does not subscribe to the theory that "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it." At the core of CQI is serial experimentation (test of change) applied to everyday work to meet the needs of those we serve and improve the services we offer.

CQI is applicable to our Community Health Center’s clinical, fiscal and operational practices, the Triad of health center excellence. Each entity, though unique on its face, is requisite for a successful health center; all are interlinked, overlapping and dependent upon another. Creating a silo within these areas can adversely impact the CQI process and impede the process for Continuous Quality Improvement within an organization.

Core Concepts of CQI

• Quality is defined as meeting and/or exceeding the expectations of our customers (patients, payers, HRSA).
• Success is achieved through meeting the needs of those we serve.Most problems are found in processes, not in people. CQI does not seek to blame, but rather to improve processes.
• Unintended variation in processes can lead to unwanted variation in outcomes, and therefore we seek to reduce or eliminate unwanted variation.
• It is possible to achieve continual improvement through small, incremental changes using the scientific method.
• Continuous improvement is most effective when it becomes a natural part of the way everyday work is done.