Total quality now! Putting QI on the fast track.

To keep up with today's constantly changing healthcare needs, organizations are looking for ways to expedite improvements to their systems. Some have adopted one of the nationally recognized methods--blitz improvement teams, the Breakthrough Series, PICOS or interactive accelerated replication. Other organizations are designing their own improvement programs, borrowing concepts from TQM and picking up the pace. Whatever the method used, they agree on 10 components that are essential for a successful effort.