After first understanding the needs and priorities of their hospital, chief quality officers then should focus on five core items, according to J. Michael Henderson, MD, the former CQO of Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Henderson, who is currently CMO of University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, laid out some lessons learned during his journey from surgeon to CQO in the February edition of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.
Below are the five things any CQO should focus on, according to Dr. Henderson:
1. Establishing core values and behaviors that need to be tied to quality and patient safety goals
2. Defining the work between regulatory, accreditation, required reporting and performance improvement
3. Building a team of clinical leaders and content experts
4. Engaging the leadership
5. Involving frontline caregivers in the process