About the Quality & Patient Safety Institute

Cleveland Clinic has always been a strong advocate of informing people about specific data related to finding quality hospital care. We believe that informed patients are able to participate better in their own care.

The Outcomes Books offer detailed information and data to help patients and their physicians make informed decisions about treatment for a wide-range of medical diseases and conditions.

• View 2010 Treatment Outcomes.

The Department of Accreditation provides guidance to ensure Cleveland Clinic is continually in compliance with the highest level of quality care and patient safety standards as set by Joint Commission, CMS, NCQA, ODH and other regulatory agencies.

Clinical Risk Management approaches improving the quality and safe delivery of healthcare by identifying situations that may put patients at risk and acting to prevent or control those risks. Our role, like that of all Cleveland Clinic employees, is to put patients first.

Effective quality improvement requires valid and reliable data. The Quality & Safety Institute’s Data Department creates overall quality measurement tools and reporting plans. Database design, data collection, and reporting findings are key activities.

The Environmental Health and Safety department is committed to creating, promoting and maintaining a safe, healthy environment for all employees, patients and visitors of Cleveland Clinic. It’s our policy to maintain a safety program conforming to all applicable local, state and federal safety and health standards, fire codes and environmental regulations. Whenever possible, Cleveland Clinic makes every effort to exceed these regulations.

Infection Control practitioners diligently work to improve the quality of healthcare through infection control practices and ongoing education. The Department is dedicated to improving patient care, preventing adverse outcomes and promoting patient safety while minimizing occupational hazards for Cleveland Clinic employees. Past initiatives included hand hygiene and flu vaccine programs.

Safety is a priority at Cleveland Clinic. Reducing risk and ensuring safety requires increased attention to systems that prevent and mitigate errors.

The Cleveland Clinic Patient Safety Program focuses on continuous enhancement of safety for all patients, visitors and employees. Every employee plays a critical role in ensuring patient, visitor and employee safety. Additionally, the program strives for a culture of safety by implementing strategies to reduce medical errors.

The Process Improvement team works with Cleveland Clinic departments to provide appropriate solutions to ensure best practices, resulting in quality patient care and service. Using improvement techniques, departments work together to maximize the work environment and processes involved in daily patient care.

Strategies include:

• Six Sigma - DMAIC – (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control)
• Lean (5S, Visual Controls, Value Stream Mapping)
• PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act)
• FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis)

Hospitals and doctors are not all alike. They vary in quality due to differences in their training, experience and services. Differences in quality matter more when you need sophisticated medical care for a complex condition. The doctor and hospital you choose will have a direct impact on how well you do – especially when you need treatment for a serious condition or disease.

The Department of Quality oversees a comprehensive program to monitor, assess and improve the quality of patient care and operational processes delivered at Cleveland Clinic. This plan supports the organizational mission to provide high quality care and to continuously improve our performance. The Department of Quality works hand in hand with the institutes to identify and address quality.