...John Øvretveit Much has been written about quality in patient care and clinical support services, but very little about the quality of purchasing. This paper gives an overview of quality issues in purchasing, and offers guidelines and practical steps for purchasers to improve service quality – both...

... for United Healthcare, maintains that “the report card concept could eventually help employers and healthcare purchasers to select health plans which are best suited to their needs”[ 1 ]. Although United Healthcare should be commended for its initiative, the Clinton administration is looking to a nationally...

...Andrew F. Long Clinical guidelines are being widely advocated. Discusses the agenda for outcomes in a context of both purchasing and providing and from user and clinical perspectives. Debates the question of whether practitioners will change their behaviour and act on research evidence. © MCB UP...

...‐care services. Cancer is used to illustrate how the quality of life of patients, both during and after treatment, can be measured and the information used by purchasers to consider the relative effectiveness of different methods of treatment. This in turn can inform the overall purchasing strategy...

...Errol Babington Considers the application of a computer model to aid the contracting process between purchasers and providers in the NHS. Analyses the difference between needs and wants and shows how the model can be used for considering “what if?” options. 6 IJHCQA 6,1 An examination...

...Robin Gourlay Proposes a health contract negotiating model designed to ensure that quality of service is not compromised by confrontational stances taken by providers and purchasers. Shows how a determination on both sides to achieve ends must be matched by an equal willingness to explore mutually...

...: A STANDARD OF PURCHASING 23 B ritish Standard 5750 and the process of certification. Health Authorities and BS5750: A Standard of Purchasing John Smith and Steve Hart (3) to ensure that the quality system established through registration has meaning and credibility to the local community; (4) to use...

... between purchaser and provider is outlined. © MCB UP Limited 1991 CONTRACTS PURCHASING STANDARDS NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE HEALTH CARE TQM CUSTOMER ORIENTATION Services marketing 8 IJHCQA 4,4 H o w one Authority is seeking to place the customer at the centre off its business. Total...