I. Purpose and Scope
This Quality Assurance (QA) plan establishes a systematic framework for monitoring, evaluating, and improving the quality of patient care in internal medicine practices.
II. Quality Committee Structure
A. Core Members
- Medical Director
- Quality Assurance Coordinator
- Clinical Department Heads
- Practice Administrator
- Patient Safety Officer
B. Meeting Schedule
- Monthly QA committee meetings
- Quarterly performance review sessions
- Annual comprehensive program evaluation
III. Key Quality Metrics
A. Clinical Outcomes
-
Chronic Disease Management
- HbA1c control rates
- Blood pressure management
- Lipid control
-
Preventive Care
- Vaccination rates
- Cancer screening compliance
- Annual wellness visit completion
B. Patient Safety
-
Medication Management
- Medication reconciliation completion
- Adverse drug event tracking
- High-risk medication monitoring
-
Care Coordination
- Referral tracking
- Hospital follow-up completion rates
- Test result communication timing
IV. Data Collection and Analysis
A. Data Sources
- EHR analytics
- Patient satisfaction surveys
- Incident reports
- Peer review findings
B. Analysis Methods
- Monthly metric tracking
- Quarterly trend analysis
- Benchmarking against national standards
V. Performance Improvement Activities
A. PDSA Cycles
- Plan: Identify improvement opportunities
- Do: Implement changes
- Study: Measure results
- Act: Adjust based on findings
B. Educational Programs
- Staff training sessions
- Clinical updates
- Safety protocol reviews
VI. Documentation Requirements
A. Required Records
- Meeting minutes
- Action plans
- Performance data
- Improvement project outcomes
B. Reporting Schedule
- Monthly dashboards
- Quarterly summary reports
- Annual comprehensive review
VII. Annual Review and Updates
A. Plan Evaluation
- Review of goals and objectives
- Assessment of metric achievement
- Program effectiveness analysis
B. Plan Updates
- Annual goal setting
- Metric adjustments
- Process improvements