Continuous Quality Improvement

Continuous quality improvement activities at Pressley Ridge are an integral part of how the organization achieves excellence in care. Quality improvement is designed to support the organization’s mission through the measurement, evaluation, analysis, and implementation of new processes of the organization’s systems.

The Research, Evaluation and Quality Improvement (RE&QI) department engages in quality performance activities and chairs the quarterly Quality Improvement Committee. It is at these meetings that a formal review of outcome and satisfaction data occurs. This review and reporting meets the Council of Accreditation standards for performance management of social service agencies. As a result of leadership reviews, action plans are often implemented and Root Cause Analyses are performed to assure continuous quality improvement.

Examples of Quality Improvement Items that are monitored include:

The Quality Improvement Model

Pressley Ridge uses the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model, developed by Dr. Walter Shewhart, as the framework to guide improvement work. The PDSA cycle, based on the scientific method, guides the test of a change to determine if the change is an improvement by utilizing the following steps:

• Testing a change by developing a plan (Plan)
• Carrying out the test or trying it (Do)
• Observing and learning from consequences (Study)
• Acting on what is learned from those consequences (Act)

Although the PDSA cycle can be entered at any point, the logical first step is to plan. Repeating the cycle can bring organizations closer to the project goal, which is usually a perfect operation or output. Planning new processes and redesigning existing processes are continuous activities for any human service organization. By utilizing a proven quality improvement model, Pressley Ridge stays on forefront of adhering to and implementing continuous quality improvement initiatives.