QFD in a Managed Care Organization

摘要

Since quality function deployment (QFD) was introduced to U.S. companies in 1983, few attempts have been made to apply it in healthcare settings. The application of QFD in the healthcare industry has been limited because the product of healthcare is ill defined and intangible. It has, however, successfully been applied in rehabilitation and dietary services, and in this instance, it was used to redesign a managed care organization's (MCO) member handbook. Managed care was introduced in the United States nearly two decades ago as a means to maintain quality while managing costs. An MCO contracts with physicians, hospitals, medical equipment companies and home health agencies to provide services to its members (patients). The MCO markets its services and actively enrolls people. Once enrolled, members receive a handbook that explains how they can access the services offered by the MCO and its affiliated providers.