Incorporating the USAF Flight Center's TQM plan in a hospital

A total quality management (TQM) plan has been instituted by the United States Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base. To determine the feasibility of implementing the same basic TQM plan in a district hospital, a joint industry-government team was established. Five areas of concentration were selected for review: infrastructure, methodology, training, strategic plan, and a "Quality Bill of Rights." The TQM "infrastructure" is intended to match and complement the existing organizational structure and chain of command, not to supplant it. As the overall plan seemed well-adapted for implementation in a hospital setting, a three-phase implementation approach was identified that included conceptual planning, initial training and goal setting, and full-scale implementation. Each phase is described in terms of objectives, staffing, and timing requirements.