6 Quality Improvement Initiatives That Are Reshaping Healthcare Delivery

In healthcare, quality improvement (QI) is the constant challenge to make care safer, more effective and more patient-centered. It means looking at how things are done and asking, How can we do this better?

Today’s healthcare systems are complex. Patients expect more personalized care. Providers are working across more departments and technologies than ever before. That’s why quality improvement in healthcare isn’t something that's just important. It's everything. QI helps providers deliver better care, reduce errors and improve patient outcomes in a fast-changing environment.

So, what does this look like in action? Here are five real-world examples of initiatives that are changing how care is delivered and how patients experience it.

1. Reducing hospital readmissions through real-time data tracking

One key area of quality improvement in healthcare is reducing hospital readmissions. When patients return to the hospital shortly after being discharged, it often signals a gap in care. This is serious because readmissions put both patient health and hospital resources at risk.

Some hospitals are using electronic health record (EHR) systems to track patient data in real time. For example, EHR alerts can flag patients with chronic conditions or recent complications. When a high-risk patient is identified, case managers can step in to coordinate follow-up care, schedule appointments or confirm prescriptions were filled after discharge.

This kind of data collection helps care teams act before problems escalate. It’s a simple change to the healthcare delivery process, but it can make a big difference.

“Using patient-reported outcomes during each visit to tailor oncology care in real time made a real difference in my last institute,” says Hassaan Shaikh, an oncology pharmacist and instructor in Rasmussen’s Pharmacy Technician program. “This proactive engagement led to fewer emergency visits and made patients feel heard and empowered.”

The Cleveland Clinic offers another example.¹ In their QI initiative, they used predictive analytics and the proactive nature of their team to positively impact their patients. Patients received phone calls within 48 hours of being discharged home with high-risk cases automatically flagged for extra support.

If it seems simple, that's because it is! The best part of this story is the drop in readmission rates!¹ The Cleveland Clinic a textbook example of the tangible, real-world impact quality improvement can have on patient happiness.

So, we're past a place of theory and into tangibles in practice. It's proven and supported by patients who not only got healthier but also stayed healthy at home—which is the goal of healthcare professionals at every level.

All it took was a bit of proactivity from a staff that actively engaged with patients to create processes that raise health care quality.

2. Improving communication during shift changes

If you've ever worked in food service, you understand how hectic shift changes can be. Well, multiply that stress by several times and you'll have what shift changes are like in healthcare.

Ask a doctor or nurse, and they'll tell you that shift changes are among the most critical moments in patient care. If information gets lost, misunderstood or skipped, it can lead to confusion—or worse: medical errors.

That’s why improving communication during handoffs has become a key focus in quality improvement efforts across the healthcare system.

“Beyond verbal communication, our team also adopted a shared digital communication board within the electronic health record (EHR) that houses real-time updates, action items and patient-specific alerts,” Shaikh says.

“This ensures seamless transitions between shifts and promotes continuity of care.”

A similar solution is the use of structured handoff tools like SBAR, which stands for Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation. This simple but powerful method gives healthcare providers a consistent way to share patient information clearly and quickly.

Hospitals that use SBAR and similar tools have seen real improvements in patient safety. For example, a study published in BMJ Quality & Safety found that creating a standardized handoff protocol led to a 23% drop in medical errors and improved teamwork among healthcare professionals.²

This kind of process mapping helps reduce human error and creates smoother transitions. This is especially important in high-pressure environments because, while it’s not obvious, better handoffs lead to better care processes and better outcomes.

3. Increasing patient buy-in through more tailored care

“We undertook a significant shift in how oncology care is delivered to place patients at the heart of every clinical decision,” Shaikh says. He explains that typically, there was a protocol everyone followed when it came to making treatment decisions—they just applied the protocol to every patient.

But this approach left out a real incorporation of patients' individual concerns, values, or lifestyle preferences. Shaikh says they noticed this gap and created an assessment for every patient to complete at the beginning of each appointment with symptoms or side effects they may be experiencing.

Then, the care team reads each form as they plan treatment. “For example, if a patient reports debilitating fatigue or psychological distress, supportive care interventions are promptly initiated alongside or in lieu of more aggressive therapeutic approaches.”

“This proactive engagement resulted in a measurable increase in treatment adherence, decreased emergency department visits due to unmanaged side effects, and improved overall patient satisfaction scores,” Shaikh says. And above all, he adds, patients reported feeling heard, respected, and empowered in their care.

4. Using clinical audits to identify care gaps

Clinical audits are a proven quality improvement tool that helps healthcare professionals measure how well care is being delivered. By comparing current practices to established standards, teams can identify gaps and drive improvement.

One example comes from a diabetes quality improvement project in the UK. Multiple general practices participated in a clinical audit supported by the Royal College of General Practitioners.³ Providers reviewed care records for patients with diabetes, focusing on metrics like blood sugar control, medication use and follow-up routines.

Once gaps were identified, healthcare professionals implemented small changes, like adjusting medication schedules or improving appointment reminders. The result? More targeted care and more confident staff.

Clinical audits help healthcare teams focus their quality improvement efforts on what matters most: patient outcomes. And when audits are done regularly, they build a culture of accountability and constant learning.

5. Engaging frontline staff with QI tools that fit the local context

While standardizing as much as possible is great to streamline process, one size doesn’t always fit all in healthcare. What works in a large urban hospital may not work in a small rural clinic. That’s why it’s so important to use QI tools that reflect the local context.

In rural areas, nurses and other frontline healthcare professionals often lead QI projects. They understand the needs of their communities and can spot system gaps others might miss.

But for these efforts to succeed, quality improvement tools need to be realistic and suited to limited resources, smaller teams and more flexible roles.

One report from the Health Foundation showed that when local teams were given more control over their improvement efforts, they developed more creative and effective solutions.⁴ When staff are equipped with the right tools, and empowered to lead change, they can improve care processes and strengthen how systems work.

This is why a simpler solution is often the most effective in QI. Healthcare professionals need to be able to adapt it for their circumstances. Shaikh used his oncology clinic’s EHR system to incorporate pharmacy-specific alerts, such as high-risk medication start dates, drug interaction flags and therapeutic drug monitoring needs, into the team's communication thread.

“This system significantly reduced omissions and delays, minimized duplication of therapy, and enhanced overall care coordination, which is especially vital in complex oncology regimens,” Shaikh says.

6. Expanding access through telehealth innovation⁵

One thing about the healthcare system is that it evolves at the pace of science and adapts to our world. Telehealth is a recent but game-changing transformation in recent years. What started as a necessity during the pandemic has become a long-term solution for expanding access, especially in public health and behavioral care.

One standout quality improvement initiative involved using telehealth to expand mental health services, where virtual visits and proactive outreach were used to support high-risk patients. Health systems that have adopted these approaches trained staff, updated workflows, and built feedback loops into their quality improvement process to ensure that patients receive timely care after discharge.

Higher appointment completion rates

The results showed that more patients followed through with their appointments—especially those who previously faced transportation or scheduling barriers.

Improved patient satisfaction

Patients reported a better overall experience with virtual visits, noting the convenience and comfort of receiving care from home.

Faster access to care

Telehealth allowed patients, especially in rural or underserved areas, to connect with providers sooner, avoiding long wait times or delays in treatment. These types of quality improvement endeavors help to bridge gaps in care and enhance patient experiences—especially for individuals facing geographic, financial or mobility barriers.

“The key to successful telehealth isn’t just tech,” Shaikh notes. “It’s building systems that keep patients engaged and feeling supported throughout treatment.”

When telehealth is implemented thoughtfully, with tools that align with the community’s needs and robust workflows, it can drive improvement across healthcare.⁵

The future of healthcare depends on quality improvement

These five examples show how real change happens when quality improvement goals are clearly defined, measured with intention, and grounded in the local context.

The health foundation's "programme evaluations" (based in the UK) are also a great resource to see how certain QI initiatives have succeeded or failed, and why. See some of that on the Health Foundation QI page.

Whether it's reducing hospital readmissions, expanding mental health access through telehealth, or equipping healthcare professionals with tools that work in their setting, these initiatives are helping deliver better outcomes across healthcare.

And they’re just the beginning. Across the country, healthcare providers and teams are launching QI projects that reshape everything from care processes to communication systems, like improving safety, access, and experience for patients.

If you’re interested in making a difference in how healthcare organizations operate, take a look at What Is a Practice Manager? An Expert Look at this Healthcare Management Career.

¹Cleveland Clinic. (2022). Reducing readmissions through enhanced care coordination. https://psnet.ahrq.gov/innovation/cleveland-clinic-pairs-advanced-practice-registered-nurses-and-paramedics-provide-home
² BMJ Quality & Safety, Changes in medical errors after implementation of a handoff program. https://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/23/2/116
³Royal College of General Practitioners. (2015). Quality improvement for General Practice: A guide for GPs and the whole practice team. https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/pluginfile.php/174203/mod_book/chapter/572/RGCP-QI-Guide-260216.pdf
⁴ The Health Foundation. Quality Improvement Training for Healthcare Professionals. 2012. https://www.health.org.uk/sites/default/files/QualityImprovementTrainingForHealthcareProfessionals.pdf
⁵Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Using Telehealth to Improve Quality and Safety: Findings from the AHRQ Health IT Portfolio. https://digital.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/docs/page/Telehealth_Issue_Paper_Final_0.pdf