CARE AMBULANCE SERVICES INC. (2012-196)

Home Browse Search

internal medical quality controls - continued Concurrent - The concurrent phase of the quality process encornpassesthe delivery of service and patient care. It focuses on performance monitoring and application of procedures. The Operations Managers are the primary resource for this evaluation. The Care Ambulance Operations Managers actively engage field employees, public safety personnel, and facility staff. During this interaction, the Operations Managers are observing patient care and crew interpersonal skills with other members of the patient care team. The concurrent evaluation provides the environment for almost immediate feedback on job performance. The concurrent evaluation is where many exceptional performances are recognized. The real time aspect of concurrent evaluation allows issues or concerns to be identified and addressed immediately. Quality improvement is ongoing and does not need to wait for the end of month report Operational changes to improve system performance can be implemented quickly when organizations are committed to quality. Care Ambulance through a variety of mechanisms has the ability to notify employees of changes that are put into practice. These changes are approved by appropriate company officials prior to implementation. Retrospective - All phases of the quality process are important. The retrospective phase is the after-event evaluation of system performance. To ensure positive findings retrospectively, it is important to invest heavily in quality control that is prospective (hiring, training etc.) and concurrent (evaluation of the service / care at the time of delivery). Retrospective quality control is looking back on service or care that has already been delivered. Examples of areas of retrospective review are: Patient Care Reports Use of an Automated External Defibrillator Documentation of the need for patient restraints Emergency Vehicle Operations reports Unexpected clinical events The results of the retrospective review provide data to facilitate changes in operating procedures to improve performance. This data also allows the organization to identify trends. Data is wonderful, but improvement only occurs when the data is acted on. The QA/QI Manager works closely with the Training Department to identify areas for additional training or the need for a change in training curriculum. There may be times when the quality process identifies an individual or individual(s); who require refresher training. These situations are referred to the Training Department where the necessary training is provided. Upon completion of the training, the Training Manager will advise the QAlQI Manager that the required training has been completed. The individual(s) will be monitored to ensure compliance. This action of "closing the loop" is one of the fundamental concepts of continuous quality improvement. Many organizations say that they are driven by the CQI process, yet only invest in the retrospective component of the process. Care Ambulance truly embraces CQI and has the systems in place to facilitate continual improvement: Prospective, Concurrent, and Retrospective. It is with great pride that Care Ambulance employees provide exceptional service to each and every customer because of our commitment to quality. 14