Background Information about HUP

The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is located in southwest Philadelphia with a capacity of 704 beds. It operates as a tertiary academic medical center focusing on the provision of medical services to adults, as well as offering a wide range of medical services such as obstetrics, rehabilitative services and psychiatry. The hospital possesses modern facilities in their intensive care units and 32 operating rooms ensuring the quality of their services. The hospital also has a robust transplantation program, as well as very active oncology and cardiology among various other programs (Jost & Rich, 2010). The wide and expansive facilities in the hospital are backed by an experienced and competent staff. The reputation of the hospital in medical research and clinical care has enabled it to attract high quality medical specialist from all around the globe.

Quality Assurance Standards

Quality assurance is an important aspect in the medical field due to sensitivity and the need for high quality medical services. This has led to rapid increasing interest in quality and safety in medical and health care sector in the recent past. There has been myriad of definitions in regard to the definition of quality assurance in the medical field and there is no generally accepted definition of quality assurance. However, quality assurance is a generally accepted in the global field of medical care, which is essential in facilitating new developments and consensus on what is to be included in the quality assurance. However, there are various aspects of quality assurance that can be recognized as important in quality assurance (Black, 2000). For example, the aspect of assessment of the actual quality level of the services offered and various efforts aimed at modifying the provision of such services.

The concept has in some aspects been restricted to scientific and technical capabilities in different health and medical care institutions. However, the services delivered for the care of the patients could be ineffective and inadequate to meet the diverse needs of the population needs. Therefore, when assessing the quality of an institution, there is a need to develop criteria of assessment to ensure all aspects of quality are considered when doing the assessment. The availability of the technical and scientific capabilities needs to consider the aspects of efficient and equity in the provision of medical care services (Lohr, 1990).

There is some synonymy of the concept of quality assurance and quality improvement. However, quality assurance can be defined as the measurement of quality against certain established standards. In addition, quality assessment is prerogative to quality assurance since there must be some measure which measure the quality of services offered. However, quality assurance is not a conditional factor for quality assessment since one can assess the quality without assuring of the same. Synonymy of quality assurance and quality improvement comes about because quality assurance is based on the tenets of continuous quality improvement. Continuous improvement of quality actually encompasses total management of quality in health care, since it involves integration of quality assurance at all levels of the health care institution (Jost & Rich, 2010).

There are various elements involved in management of quality in health care institutions, which include integration of quality assurance at all levels of the organization and the need for commitment towards quality assurance. In addition, the institution should work towards involving all staff in the quality assurance, where the aim of the organization should work toward exceeding the set standards. Quality management in health care institutions should focus on the consumer and patients since quality assurance is driven by the need to offer better services. There are different components of quality assurance programs, which vary with varying health care institutions (Jonge, Nicholas, van Leerdam, & Kuipers, 2012). However, these programs focus on similar issues such as utilization management programs, which focus on ensuring the patients receive appropriate treatment. They ensure optimal utilization through identification of areas and patterns of underutilization in the organization.

The case management program focus on implementing coordinating and monitoring various special needs facing the patients with complicated and complex medical conditions. It focuses on integrating the primary and secondary care providers to ensure maximum and appropriate care are provided to patients. Risk management programs are also essential programs in ensuring quality assurance in health institutions since they facilitate identification, management and prevention of adverse occurrences in the medical care institution operations, affecting the provision of quality services. Risk management programs facilitate avoidance of malpractices in the medical care, which could result to law suits that lead to losses and damaged reputation and consumer loss of confidence to the institution (Lohr, 1990). This facilitates improvement of quality as well providing an assurance of services' quality.

Quality Assurance at HUP

The Hospital at University of Pennsylvania is among the top health and medical care institutions in America, with a dedication to high quality patient care and service through advancements in research. The hospital is rated among the top ten health institutions in the provision of medical and health care in the country. Therefore, for the institution to maintain their leadership in the medical sector globally there is a need of ensuring maintenance and management of quality assurance. This has led to the organization’s investments in modern technology equipments, which has been essential in delivery of high quality services to their patients (Eizo Nanao Corporation, 2013).

As a psychology assignment writer I believe here have been various efforts by the hospital to develop quality assurance programs, in ensuring the provision of quality services, to patients. For example, the institution has developed a digital imaging monitor system, which has been essential in ensuring management and control of quality of the services offered in the institution. The monitor is essential in providing data and information, which enable the hospital to track and monitor the operations of the organization. The system has been among the efforts of the institution to adopt latest innovations in technology, which is essential for the organization achievement of efficiency and effectiveness in its operations (Eizo Nanao Corporation, 2013).

The institution has also been able to comply with various standards of quality assurance since it has been able to address various issues in regard to quality assurance. For example, the organization has been able to adopt state of art technologies in the medical field in ensuring the quality of their services. This has also been characterized with optimal use of the resources in the organization, where the organization quality assurance program has ensured optimal use of the institution facilities (Black, 2000). The institution has also focused on ensuring development of the right relationship with their patients ensuring autonomy of the patients and providing services that meet patients’ preferences.

The institution is also committed to quality through its developed expansive support system, with highly competent and motivated health professionals, who ensure delivery of quality medical services. The institution embraces constant and continuous improvement in the provision of their services through adoption of innovations and improvements in the delivery system as a whole (Lohr, 1990). Quality assurance of the institution is also defined in the organization’s quality assurance system, which incorporates various programs that ensure maintenance of quality services provided to their customers.