Healthcare organizations are increasingly under financial and regulatory pressures to improve the quality of care they deliver. However many organizations are challenged in their ability to fully integrate quality improvement measures into the strategic planning process. This unique text examines the most successful processes for integrating quality into the strategic planning process through sophisticated quality measurement and monitoring systems. The authors present a framework that addresses all of the domains and dimensions of quality and their integration into the range of operational activities within the healthcare organization. Written for audiences in classrooms at schools of public health and healthcare administration, as well as executives and managers in healthcare organizations, this text also offers a thorough yet concise review of the current healthcare environment, the history of quality in general, and quality issues specific to the healthcare industry, as well as an examination of the parallels between financial performance and quality performance management. Key Features: * Looks at the evolution of quality from both a historical and "other industry" perspective prior to moving into healthcare * Treats quality as a primary measure of organizational performance and therefore, integrates quality into the overall management process (including strategic and financial considerations) * Provides a conceptual framework for developing quality as measure of organizational performance that can be aggregated for executive management and governance.