Quality and patient safety philosophy and methodology

Collaborative, reliable processes and systems

At Cancer Treatment Centers of America^® (CTCA), quality care does not simply happen, it is built and nurtured. Quality is the outcome of a set of consciously designed, reliable procedures and systems that connect people, processes, knowledge and technology in the delivery of high quality, safe care. The CTCA^® quality program is grounded in the following principles:

• Collaborative partnerships across CTCA are essential to individual and collective improvement.
• Improvement and clinical innovation is achieved through the conscious deployment of methodologies, technologies and tools.
• Evidence-based practice, guidelines and/or expert opinion are central to learning and transferring knowledge.
• Providers and patients alike are empowered to serve as champions for improvement.

CTCA utilizes the six aims of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) as a framework for our definition of quality care. According to these aims, health care should be:

1. SAFE: Avoid injuries to patients from the care intended to help them.
2. EFFECTIVE: Base patient services on scientific, evidence-based knowledge of the benefits.
3. PATIENT-CENTERED: Provide care in a respectful manner that is responsive to individual preferences, needs and values.
4. TIMELY: Reduce waits and delays for both those who receive and those who give care.
5. EFFICIENT: Avoid waste, including waste of equipment, supplies, ideas and energy.
6. EQUITABLE: Be consistent in the quality of care, which should not vary due to individual differences such as gender, age, race/ethnicity, geographic location or socio-economic status.