Rebuilding a professional practice model. The return of role-based practice accountability

There is no patient care without clinical practice. To improve the quality of health care, organizations must build a finely tuned and resilient clinical enterprise, one founded on clear role accountability and decision authority within the team. The author views scope of practice and professional standards as the foundation for practice accountability and decision authority. A case is made that an interdisciplinary, professional practice model is an appropriate delivery model in today's health care environment; a model that places the professional role in its rightful place as decision maker and supports the role's inherent accountability to evaluate and monitor practice performance. The importance of measuring professional practice performance is seen as a key link toward better understanding ways to reduce error and ensure patient safety.