Quality Through Collaboration: The NRHA Rural Quality Initiative
NRHA Quality Initiative
Mission Statement
Quality Through Collaboration: The NRHA Rural Quality Initiative seeks to promote access to coordinated, high-quality care in every rural community. Rural community-based healthcare delivery systems should: cover the continuum of care; achieve optimal quality/performance standards; be financially viable; continuously improve performance and quality; and address population health measures.
What is Quality?
"Quality of care is the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge." (IOM, 1990: p.4)
Goals of "Quality Through Collaboration: The NRHA Quality Initiative"
The NRHA’s Quality Initiative is a five-year plan designed to advance the goals of a November, 2004 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report called "Quality Through Collaboration: The Future of Rural Health." The NRHA Quality Initiative was designed with the belief that rural health care providers can not only achieve high performance standards, but can be leaders in the national quality movement. The NRHA will work with rural health care leaders to achieve the following recommendations in the IOM report.
For a summary of the IOM report and ways you can get involved, [click here]
Demonstrate Programs that Work (Recommendation 1)
Engage Federal Policymakers (Recommendation 2)
Develop the Rural Health Care Workforce (Recommendation 3-4)
Strengthen Financial Viability (Recommendations 5-7)
Invest in Information and Communication Technology (Recommendations 8-12)
For a list of all twelve IOM recommendations, [click here] PDF.
