The role of total quality management in patient-centered restructuring.

The fundamental structure and organization of the American hospital has changed little in the past fifty years. The current and future environment requires hospitals to reconsider how basic patient care delivery systems are organized and managed. Organizations are discovering how the traditional structure limits a hospital's ability to achieve sustainable improvements in clinical and service quality. A number of pioneering hospitals have initiated efforts during the past several years to completely redesign their organizations to create systems that are patient-centered and customer responsive. This paper discusses the opportunities and obstacles of operational restructuring and how total quality management principles can assist in achieving an effective transition to a new system.