Health Care Financing Administration Retreats from Regulatory Role

You must be a Clearinghouse Review subscriber to view this article. Log in or subscribe.

The concept of "total quality management" has preoccupied the manufacturing and service industries, especially in the early 1990s when the United States was forced to compete more fiercely in world markets. Various players have been attempting to apply it to health care. This article examines the Health Care Quality Improvement Project—a collaboration between the Health Care Financing Administration and health care providers—designed to incorporate procedures for improving quality care. The article determines that quality assurance initiatives have been in the health care industry for quite a while and asks advocates to examine the processes of care and not just outcomes.

By Toby Edelman From September - October 1997