Integrating Planning and Total Quality Management - Strategic Imperatives for the Military Health Services System.
Abstract
Health systems are having to change rapidly in today's environment as a result of the turbulent political, social, economic and technological forces. American industries as well as health care systems are reengineering and restructuring to become better organized to confront the future, better positioned to seize opportunities, more capable, effective and efficient. This is further evidenced in the daily news by mergers, joint ventures and other types of consolidations and integrations which are creating a more efficient health care delivery system. These consolidation trends represent high stakes investments which make planning even more critical. These market forces have confronted the Military Health Services System (MHSS) with similar health care delivery and financing issues. As a result, the MMSS is transitioning to managed care (known as TRICARE) in an effort to reduce escalating costs, increase access and improve quality to Department of Defense (DoD) beneficiaries. Planning requires chief executives/leaders to think futuristic as to what is needed and how best to accomplish the mission, objective or purpose of the organization. This is key to survival. The tenets of TQM provide a means for planning to occur in an organization and planning provides the structure or process for implementing TQM. This study analyzes the strategic quality imperatives that are critical to successfully reengineering the MHSS as it transitions to managed care in the wake of downsizing and pressures to privatize peacetime care.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 30, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA312975
Entities
People
- Lucretia M. Mcclenney
Organizations
- United States Army War College