Quality is Everybody’s Business

The Verde Valley Guidance Clinic (VVGC) is committed to the provision of qualitative behavioral health care.  In keeping with the VVGC’s mission, vision, and values, the VVGC utilizes a comprehensive plan to continuously improve all aspects of organizational performance.

The Organizational Improvement/Quality Management Plan includes activities traditionally referred to as quality assurance, utilization review, risk management, and continuous quality improvement.  The general scope of the Quality Management activities encompasses behavioral health services received by all clients of the VVGC.  The primary goal of the VVGC’s performance improvement activities is to enhance the quality, accessibility, and adequacy of behavioral health services provided to clients.

Three agency groups, the Quality Management Department, the Management Team and the Team for Organizational Improvement (TOI) are primarily responsible for the VVGC’s formal quality improvement activities.  In a less formal manner, departmental teams and/or special project teams also play a key role in the ongoing efforts to improve organizational performance.   

The Quality Management Department (QM) continuously monitors the VVGC’s compliance with Joint Commission (JC) requirements, State Licensure rules, Northern Arizona Regional Behavioral Health Authority (NARBHA) mandates, Department of Behavioral Health Services (DBHS) rules and internal VVGC performance measures and requirements. Real time feedback is given to Clinical Directors immediately following our QM internal clinical record reviews so areas of deficiency can be addressed without delay.  Our progress and deficiencies are trended and formally reported to Management Team quarterly.

The Team for Organizational Improvement (TOI) was created as part of a planned agency-wide effort to proactively improve agency performance by systematically incorporating total quality management initiatives. The TOI specifically addresses process improvement activities including process analysis, process design and performance measurement.  As TOI membership is comprised of representatives from each agency department, the team’s ability to analyze and solve process problems is considerably enhanced.

There are several models used for problem solving.  The most common model is the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) improvement cycle also called the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle.  At the Verde Valley Guidance Clinic we chose to create our own model which is the Assessment, Belief in constructive planning and problem solving, Leadership through implementation, Evaluation and process stabilization: (ABLE) model.  The ABLE acronym helps VVGC staff to promote an environment of positive change.

The focus of TOI is to relate all agency activities to organizational goals and consumer/stakeholder satisfaction and value.  The TOI is designed to assess all work processes in terms of how these processes appropriately address and satisfy the needs of VVGC consumers with a concerted emphasis placed on those people directly receiving services.

Process management emphasizes that most work problems are the result of inefficient systems and not due to poor employee performance.  Team members learn to appreciate co-worker problems and utilize the multi-disciplinary team composition to stimulate diverse problem solving that is directed toward a system and not toward a person.

Written By: Laura M. Robinson

Quality Management Director