TU‐E‐202‐01: Applying Baldrige National Program Methodology to Achieve Medical Physics Performance Excellence

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act was signed into law in 1987 to advance U.S. business competitiveness and economic growth. Administered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Act created the Baldrige National Quality Program (BNQP), which recognizes outstanding organizational performance with Baldrige Awards presented annually by the President of the United States at a public ceremony. At first directed only toward commercial organizations, award categories for health care, education and non‐profit organizations were later added. The comprehensive analytical approaches recommended by BNQP are well‐suited for the evaluation and sustainable improvement of medical physics program management and operations. In this Workshop, we describe how the Baldrige approach can facilitate medical physics performance enhancement in an increasingly complex and competitive healthcare environment. Team‐based self‐assessment is used for program evaluation and development to generate a profile of strengths and opportunities for improvement relative to outcome‐oriented goals. This methodology provides for an ordered examination of internal operations and trends and an objective means of benchmarking performance against guidelines published by professional organizations and regulatory agencies.