Using quality focus teams in the diagnostic imaging department

Quality Focus Teams (QFTs) have become a very effective and popular tool used to address quality issues and improve service. With the recent movement toward total quality management (TQM), or continuous quality improvement (CQI), these teams can play an important role in patient care and the quality of service provided by your department. While teams are not a new concept, they have gained a new popularity in the healthcare field by focusing on service quality. Such teams have been referred to in the past as quality circles or management teams, and were used primarily by manufacturers to address quality issues and implement improvements. They were usually brought together to address a specific problem or crisis. QFTs, on the other hand, usually go a step further by addressing ways of continually improving service or care, even in the absence of a crisis or obvious problem. With the increasingly competitive environment in healthcare and the demands to maintain the highest level of quality possible, QFTs should be a part of every department. This article will provide radiology managers with the basic information needed to begin developing, using and benefitting from QFTs.