Health-care quality management using the MBHCP excellence model

To publicise the quality of care they provide, health-care providers strive to have their management achievements recognised by such global evaluators as the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA), European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model, and Joint Commission Model of Accreditation. This study developed a research model to examine the relationships among the seven categories of MBNQA in the health-care industry. The proposed model, using structural equation modelling (SEM), tested hypotheses based on the data collected from 254 hospitals. The results of the study indicate that the seven categories of care and service processes are positively associated with each category of MBNQA in the health-care industry. Also, MBNQA can play a role as an appropriate framework of international standards criteria for quality improvement in the global health-care industry. To alleviate the limitations of the study, future research needs to include comparative studies of international standards/criteria and/or awards, cross-culture analysis of health-care providers in different countries, and a longitudinal investigation of the quality criteria and their impact on organisational performance. Also, moderating effects by SEM could be indicated.