Quality Assurance Interview With Doug Smith

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Quality Assurance Interview with Doug Smith There are many issues facing quality assurance within healthcare organizations. To help understand these complex issues I interviewed Doug Smith, who is the Data Quality Manager for the 489th Aerospace Medicine Flight on Dyess Air Force Base. According to Mr. Smith, the top five issues that are facing quality assurance are problem identification, leadership, employee participation, data collection, and sustainability (XXXX). Also, Mr. Smith explained how risk management and quality assurance are a powerful dynamic duo that are intertwined. One of the first steps in any problem-solving model is to identify the problem. Identifying the problem is no different when trying to instill a culture …show more content…

Mr. Smith referred to data collection is an indispensable tool to improving quality, but the method must be chosen wisely or the data could be fabricated (XXXX). The wrong method could allow employees to game the system by produce numbers without an actual change in culture. Poorly chosen measures could enable gaming where employees are incentivized to produce numbers without the intended changes in practice (2015). The perfect monitoring system does not exist, which is why organizations must incorporate the system accurately. The data collection system should be properly resourced in order to function at full capacity. Also, the system should fit the purpose it was intended for without creating excessive burdens on staff. Data collection is great resource to improve quality assurance, but it must be implemented correctly in order to be beneficial. The last issue regarding quality assurance Mr. Smith brought up was …show more content…

According to Mr. Smith, these two concepts are one in the same by the outcomes they produce utilizing the continuous quality improvement initiatives (CQI) (XXXX). CQI is the bedrock of quality assurance and risk management. It involves striving for outcomes that either help the efficiency of healthcare delivery or to eliminate unsafe practices that may cause harm. The great thing about these two concepts is that they can both accomplish their agendas at the same time, which is why quality assurance and risk management complement one