Implementing total quality management in healthcare: how do we get there from here?

Total quality management (TQM), with its long and proven record of success in manufacturing and other service industries, is relatively new to the healthcare field. But given the success of TQM in pioneering healthcare organizations, many more organizations will implement it in the coming years. TQM provides the most promising hope for improving the nation's healthcare quality while controlling costs. This change will have its advantages, but will not be without pitfalls and problems. That is why there are specific steps that must be taken to make TQM a success.