Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is nationally renowned for its groundbreaking social activism and emphasis on equity and accountability in providing quality medical care to all. The Department of Medicine has a strong commitment to continual quality improvement (QI), including dedicated
leadership and initiatives throughout the network.
The Six Domains of Health Care Quality
The Institute of Medicine includes the following six aims for the health care system [1]:
- Safe: Avoiding harm to patients from the care that is intended to help them.
- Effective: Providing services based on scientific knowledge to all who could benefit and refraining from providing services to those not likely to benefit (avoiding underuse and misuse, respectively).
- Patient-centered: Providing care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions.
- Timely: Reducing waits and sometimes harmful delays for both those who receive and those who give care.
- Efficient: Avoiding waste, including waste of equipment, supplies, ideas, and energy.
- Equitable: Providing care that does not vary in quality because of personal characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and socioeconomic status.
Quality Improvement Resources
[1] Institute of Medicine (IOM). Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century. Washington, D.C: National Academy Press; 2001.