Designing a Quality and Safety Organizational Structure

Creating a culture and organizational structure that promotes patient safety and achieves quality outcomes requires a shared accountability and teamwork within organizations. A framework designed to align quality and safety initiatives, provides the structure to achieve sustainable change. The aim of the study is to achieve the safest possible clinical outcomes by eliminating patient harm and integrating high-reliability behaviors into the work habits of employees and physicians through the development of a high performing, coordinated quality and safety collaborative in alignment with organizational strategies and existing infrastructure. A quality and safety collaborative committee was established to create shared accountability for clinical outcomes and develop a new framework for improvement. The collaborative undertook a full assessment of the current state utilizing a microsystem assessment model. Ongoing assessment, prioritization and aligned initiatives resulted in the creation of a shared vision between the medical school and hospital teams and clinical outcomes exceeding targets.