Quality assurance in ambulatory care

This article is one example of how a more simplified audit system for evaluating patient outcomes can be implemented and can be applied to an ambulatory care setting. Quality assurance activities are here to stay, either as a result of our feeling a professional obligation to monitor our own practice in relationship to the public we serve, or as a result of pressure from consumers and third-party payers. I prefer to believe that as professionals, we do recognize our obligation to be accountable for our actions, and that only we can set the standards of practice to which we will be held accountable. Through the development of criteria for care, we are able to establish these standards of practice. In complex care settings such as our Ambulatory Care Service, the CMA/CHA audit process is a reasonable approach to assuring quality by looking at patient outcomes. This process supports the team approach to patient care, is a less expensive method because less time is required to orient personnel to the audit process, and meets JCAH requirements for accreditation.