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Internal supply chain performance measurement: a health care continuous improvement implementation
Kerry Swinehart1, Allen E Smith
1Department of Management and Marketing, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee, USA.
Summary
Total Quality Management (TQM) and continuous improvement strategies enhance healthcare by measuring internal customer satisfaction. This approach identifies opportunities for operational improvements in healthcare organizations.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Quality Improvement Science
Background:
- Healthcare organizations face future challenges requiring strategic adaptation.
- Total Quality Management (TQM) and continuous improvement are key strategies for organizational advancement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the application of TQM and continuous improvement in US healthcare.
- To present a model for assessing internal customer satisfaction within healthcare settings.
Main Methods:
- Utilized TQM and continuous improvement strategies for internal customer satisfaction assessment.
- Developed and applied an instrument to gather timely, relevant satisfaction data from internal healthcare customers.
Main Results:
- Internal customer satisfaction is crucial for evaluating organizational performance.
- While external surveys offer insights, internal measures provide more detailed, actionable data for specific departments.
Conclusions:
- The study provides valuable insights into enhancing customer satisfaction in healthcare.
- Focusing on internal customers offers a direct path to identifying operational improvements.