Quality Improvement - Health Quality Ontario

As a catalyst for continuous Quality Improvement (QI), Health Quality Ontario (HQO) is involved in championing evidence on how to achieve the best possible care, in encouraging the adoption of QI methodologies and skills, and in providing expertise in QI to healthcare organizations.

• Health Quality Ontario web site - www.hqontario.ca
• HQO Quality Improvement Guides
• HQO Tools for Quality Improvement Teams
• HQO Mandate

HQO Quality Improvement Guides

Quality Improvement (QI) is the first step on the path to enhancing care for patients and practice for staff. It provides basic tools and knowledge that healthcare settings can use to implement QI initiatives and improve care, satisfaction, and clinical outcomes.

To support QI teams, HQO has developed the following guides:

• Quality Improvement Guide
  This guide is intended as a jumping off point in the QI journey, and provides foundational knowledge necessary to start improvement projects.
• Quality Improvement Guide Module 1: Access
  This guideshares principles and tools that can be applied to improve access.
• Quality Improvement Guide Module 2: Efficiency
  This guideshares principles and tools that can be applied to improve efficiency.
• Quality Improvement Guide for Long-Term Care
  This guide is intended as a jumping off point in the Long-Term Care QI journey, and provides foundational knowledge necessary to start improvement projects.

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HQO Tools for Quality Improvement Teams

This section provides resources to help individuals working in the health system improve quality. This part of the HQO web site is divided into the following sections:

• Getting Started: Defining your Project
• Creating a Measurement Plan
• Analyzing Your System
• Improvement: Testing and Implement Change
• Access and Efficiency

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HQO Mandate

Health Quality Ontario (HQO) is an independent agency, created under the Commitment to the Future of Medicare Act on September 12, 2005.

In June 2008, the Ontario government tasked Health Quality Ontario with measuring and reporting to the public on the quality of long-term care and resident satisfaction. In December 2008, Health Quality Ontario was tasked with measuring and reporting to the public on the quality of home care services and client satisfaction with these services.

On June 8, 2010, The Excellent Care for All Act was passed in the legislature expanding Health Quality Ontario’s role and mandate. The functions of Health Quality Ontario are:

Section 4 of the Act sets out its mandate:

• (a) to monitor and report to the people of Ontario on:
  1. (i) access to publicly funded health services;
  2. (ii) health human resources in publicly funded health services;
  3. (iii) consumer and population health status; and
  4. (iv) health system outcomes;
• (b) to support continuous quality improvement treatments;
• (c) to promote health care that is supported by the best available scientific evidence by,
  1. (i) making recommendations to health care organizations and other entities on standards of care in the health system, based on or respecting clinical practice guidelines and protocols, and
  2. (ii) making recommendations, based on evidence and with consideration of the recommendations in subclause (i), to the Minister concerning the Government of Ontario’s provision of funding for health care services and medical devices

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