National quality strategy sets healthcare guidelines, goals

The drive to improve healthcare now has some national direction, thanks to the recent publication of the National Strategy for Quality Improvement in Health Care.

The strategy consists of a set of priorities developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to guide local, state, and national efforts to improve the quality of healthcare. It was called for under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.

“The Affordable Care Act sets America on a path toward a higher quality healthcare system so we stop doing things that don’t work for patients and start doing more of the things that do work,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said.

The strategy presents three goals: better care, healthy people and communities, and affordable care. Accompanying the goals are six priorities:

• Make care safer by reducing harm caused in the delivery of care.

• Ensure that each person and family are partners in care.

• Promote effective communication and coordination of care.

• Promote the most effective prevention and treatment practices for the leading causes of mortality, starting with cardiovascular disease.

• Work with communities to promote use of best practices for healthy living.

• Make quality care more affordable by developing new care delivery models.

Read the report here: http://www.healthcare.gov/center/reports/quality03212011a.html