Standards

Institute of Medicine (IOM) — Crossing the Quality Chasm
IOM Definition of Quality
IOM’s Six Aims for Improving American Health Care
IOM’s 10 Rules for Redesign of the American Healthcare System
Mercy’s Commitment

Institute of Medicine (IOM) — Crossing the Quality Chasm
In recent years, there have been numerous articles and reports on the quality and safety of the American healthcare system.

A report issued by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001), identified six aims for improving health care and outlined 10 rules for redesign of the current healthcare system. These guidelines have been incorporated into Mercy Regional’s commitment to quality health care.

The IOM definition of quality recognizes that quality is an evolving standard that changes as technology and new learning advance the capabilities of medical science. Thus, it challenges health care to contemporary standards of care as the field advances.

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IOM Definition of Quality
The degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge.

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IOM’s Six Aims for Improving American Health Care
Health care should be:

SAFE — avoiding injuries to patients from the care that is intended to help them
EFFECTIVE — providing services based on scientific knowledge to all who could benefit, and refraining from providing services to those not likely to benefit
PATIENT CENTERED — providing care that is respectful and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values, and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions
TIMELY — reducing waits and sometimes harmful delays for both those who receive and those who give care
EFFICIENT — avoiding waste, including waste of equipment, supplies, ideas, and energy
EQUITABLE — providing care that does not vary in quality because of personal characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and socioeconomic status

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IOM’s 10 Rules for Redesign of the American Healthcare System

Care is based on continuous healing relationships.
Care is customized according to patient needs and values.
The patient is the source of control.
Knowledge is shared and information flows freely.
Decision making is evidence-based.
Safety is a system priority.
Transparency is necessary.
Needs are anticipated.
Waste is continuously decreased.
Cooperation among clinicians is a priority.

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Mercy’s Commitment
Making these rules a reality requires that they become a priority. At Mercy Regional, we have committed to eliminating five significant challenges in how we work together to accelerate our quality transformation:

Our culture must embrace the safety imperative at all levels.
We must standardize and eliminate variation.
Every member of our team must understand the business case for safety.
We must invest in infrastructure.
Our work model must recognize the benefits from diverse approaches to safety in our health ministries while embracing the advantages of working collaboratively as a system.

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