The Performance Improvement Model
The Performance Improvement Model provides a process to improve the quality of care at an accelerated pace.
What are we trying to accomplish?
This question is meant to establish an aim statement for improvement and focuses the organization’s effort. The aim statement should be time specific, measurable and as concise as possible. It helps to focus on specific actions or elements of the Care Model and to define which patients and providers will participate.
How will we know that a change is an improvement?
Measures and definitions are necessary to answer this question. Data is needed to assess and understand the impact of changes designed to meet the aim. When shared aims and data are used, learning is further enhanced because it can be shared with other organizations. In this way, superior performance and best practices are more quickly identified and disseminated through benchmarking.
What changes can we make that will result in improvement?
Testing by way of the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle is necessary to conclude that a result is an improvement. The P-D-S-A cycle is a trial-and-learning method to discover what is an effective and efficient way to change a process. Studying the cycle is analyzing the outcome measurements and deciding if the intervention was an effective and efficient way to change a process. The cycle is modified and repeated as necessary until the change is ready for broader implementation.
The Improvement Model was developed by Associates in Process Improvement.
More about the applications of the Model for Improvement can be found at: http://www.ihi.org/IHI/Topics/Improvement/ImprovementMethods/HowToImprove/