Joint Commission Examines the Issue of Organ Donation. Joint Commission Perspectives. 2003 Dec;23(12):1-2, 12.

This article details the outcomes of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' meeting of the roundtable initiative, created to concentrate solely on organ donation. The meeting, which was held in June 2003, generated ideas and input as to where organ donation stands at the moment and where it needs to be, with great focus on best practices and effective practices.

Griner P. The imperative for quality: A call for action to medical schools and teaching hospitals. Academic Medicine. 2003;78:1085-1089.

In this article, Dr. Griner proposes that US Academic Medical Centers should take action by becoming leaders in quality improvement.  The article explains that while many AMC's are associated with improvement in partnership with IHI, the need is great for more to follow suit - to help spur quality improvement throughout the country.

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Reinertsen J. Boards, administrators, medical staffs and quality: Sorting out the roles. Trustee. Sept 2003;1-11.

This article attempts to clarify the roles of hospital administrators, Board members, and medical staff leaders of a hospital or health care system.

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Batalden PB, Nelson EC, Edwards WH, Godfrey MM, Mohr JJ. Microsystems in health care: Part 9. Developing small clinical units to attain peak performance. Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Safety. 2003 Nov;29(11):575-585.

This article is the last in a nine-part series of articles on clinical microsystems — small, interdependent groups of people who work together regularly to provide care for specific groups of patients — and represents lessons learned at Dartmouth-Hitchock Medical Center (Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA) from ten years of work in this area.

Jarman B, Gault S, Alves B, et al. Explaining differences in English hospital death rates using routinely collected data. British Medical Journal. 1999 Jun 5;318(7197):1515-1520.

This paper presents the methodology for analyzing hospital mortality rate data. The paper concludes that a large amount of variation in hospital mortality rates exists in England. However, the critical determinant of death rate appears to be the ratio of doctors to number of population served.

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Findlay S, Lynn J. Health care at the end of life: The health system fails us in our final days; There’s a better way. National Institute for Health Care Management. 2003.

Article describing the current end of life care system in the United States.  The essay goes on to implore Medicare to lead the charge for improving care for those nearing the end of life.

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Reinhard S, Stone R. Promoting quality in nursing homes: The Wellspring Model. Institute for the Future of Aging Services. American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. The Commonwealth Fund. January 2001, Report No. 432.

This article explains, in depth, the Wellspring model for nursing home improvement.  The article also describes successes associated with implementing the model.

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Stone RI, Reinhard SC, Bowers B, Zimmerman D, Phillips CD, Hawes C, et al. Evaluation of the Wellspring Model for improving nursing home quality. Institute for the Future of Aging Services. American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. The Commonwealth Fund. August 2002, Report No. 550.

Report which studied the Wellspring model for quality improvement in nursing homes.  The report attempts to demonstrate the improvements which can be achieved by adopting the model.

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March A. The business case for clinical pathways and outcomes management: A case study of Children's Hospital and Health Centers of San Diego. The Quantum Lens Field Report. The Commonwealth Fund. April 2003, No. 609.

Article discussing a case study done at San Diego Children's Hospital and Health Centers.  The report demonstrates that without the right business model, even the most impressive system changes may not result in an organization saving money.

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Hersch G, Pettigrew P. Reenergizing the supply chain. SSM. 2002; 8:41-47.

This articles outlines how 35 hospitals and health systems were able to save hundreds of thousands of dollars through participation in Premier's Supply Chain Collaborative.  Details of the Collaborative and its changes are discussed in depth. 

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