Quality

In addition to providing safe and effective care, physicians must strive for quality. Consequently, the traditional role of the doctor is changing. Physician leaders of the future need to have a deep understanding of the science and methodologies of quality improvement (QI). These will directly improve health outcomes in our increasingly complex clinical environments. The absence of these skills and methodologies typically leads physicians to feel that they are constantly pushing against “the system” and wasting time.

We have prioritized ensuring that our residency graduates possess QI capabilities when they complete their training. To achieve this, we will provide Lean Six Sigma White Belt training and augment this with participation in QI projects that utilize rapid cycle testing with Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, statistical analysis of quality outcome data, process mapping, creating driver charts, and other essential QI tools. We will also provide didactic lectures in QI methodology and explore the work of W. Edwards Deming and the Toyota Production System.