“This book provides a unique contribution by describing the implementation of total quality management from a total system perspective.” —Stephen M. Shortell, A.C. Buehler Distinguished Professor of Health Services Management, Northwestern University and author of Strategic Choices for America’s Hospitals
“Courage, compassion, insight, and success–the story behind and about pivotal changes in one of America’s great health care systems. Every potential patient (and that’s all of us) should understand the issues that Galen Barbour addresses. There are clear implications for the entirety of American health care.” —Alfred S. Buck, executive vice president of performance measures and research, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
“The book is a welcome addition to the quality library and a ‘should read’ for anyone trying to implement a change effort in a large bureaucracy.” —Gail Scott, Gail Scott & Associates, co-author of Service Quality Improvement (1994)
“This book goes beyond the bland platitudes, it lays out in comprehensive detail the evolution and refinement of a working quality management system. The author is candid in describing not only successes but some of the failures and the insights they provide.” —Kerry E. Kilpatrick, professor and chairman, Department of Health Policy and Administration, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
“The VHA story is a major contribution to the literature. Managers can use it as a model of how to do the right things and of how to do things right. Scholars and theorists can–and should–use it as an important and provocative case study.” —N. Lamar Reinsch Jr., associate dean for graduate programs, Georgetown School of Business, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
“This book presents why traditional methods of quality assurance have not been successful and how the philosophies of continuous quality improvement have been used to reengineer such processes as utilization management, risk management, and patient feedback systems. Barbour presents valuable lessons that can shape improvement efforts in other health care systems.” —Vinod K. Sahney, senior vice president, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Michigan
