Executive Summary

All medical facilities, hospitals, institutions, and physician offices have one common goal; to provide quality care for their patients in their times of need. Naturally there are going to be quality improvement plans within each of the aforementioned organization but sometimes quality can still wane from top- of- the- line.

As a result, then, there has to be an outside association that specifically makes it their mission to ensure quality care is provided to all patients all the time. There are such establishments, thank goodness, at least one for every state in the United States of America; for Georgia, it is none other than the Georgia Medical Care Foundation.

While the Georgia Medical Care Foundation does have particular medical illnesses into which they specialize, the organization also implements a plan of quality improvement standards for the whole state. Not only do they provide patients within the Georgia medical system to ensure they are receiving the proper care, they also help keep other institutions up- to-date so as to maximize efficiency and minimize accidents, unsatisfied patients, and aid those that are simply uneducated.

Introduction & Purpose

“Imagine a health care system where every person receives the right care every time, and where providers have the tools and resources to deliver that care,” (“gmcf,” 2006). The Georgia Medical Care Foundation is a physician endorsed organization based in Georgia that helps to accomplish just that. Part of a national network of Quality Improvement Organizations, this particular institution seeks to aid the beneficiaries of Medicare and Medicaid, diabetes education, patients of chronic kidney disease, as well as a few more. Ultimately, like all similar organizations, they are hoping to facilitate patient- care and maximize efficiency for quality medical attention.

Goals & Objectives

So how is the Georgia Medical Care Foundation going about achieving their mission of ensuring the proper care for patients and the necessary tools and resources for their physicians? First off they ensure that all patients within hospitals, or medical facilities in general, which are located within Georgia are made aware of their existence. If anyone has any concern about the quality of the care that they received at any time, they are encouraged to notify the Foundation and request a review of services.

In addition to quality of care complaints, the organization also receives appeals in the event the hospital discharges a patient and the patient feels that there is still an issue, there is even a division that makes sure the patient is informed in the event that their Medicare has yet to make the required payments in a timely manner.

There are, of course, several other ways that the Georgia Medical Care Foundation ensures that quality care is being provided, still, one of the most effective is the random medical services reviews that can take place at any time. These reviews check patient records to establish that the proper care, treatments, and services were rendered.

Scope, Description, & Quality Improvement Activities

As the quality improvement plan in fact consists of the entire function of this organization, it does, naturally, include every department, program, and physician within the borders of the state of Georgia. Specifically, the Georgia Medical Care Foundation focuses, as already mentioned, upon Medicare, Medicaid, diabetes, and kidney disease. As such, the natural conclusion is going to be that the foundation particularly has jurisdiction in facilities specializing in these ailments.

Data Collection Tools

The Georgia Medical Care Foundation not only aids patients in assuring quality care, they also, as alluded to before, act as a resource for Georgia physicians. By working together with other facilities, not only across the state of Georgia but also across the nation, the Georgia Medical Care Foundation helps physicians in Georgia to “improve care by promoting evidence- based clinical guidelines and maximizing electronic health record, HER, capabilities,” (“Physicans Office,” 2007). By using initiative such as “drug safety, prevention, chronic kidney disease, and disparities,” the Georgia Medical Care Foundation assists other medical institutions and association in their delivery of “efficient” and “effective,” healthcare (“Physicans Office,” 2007).

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