Objectives

• Understand the importance of practice variability, its historical precedents, its causes, strategies to reduce it, and international experiences.
• Analyze the basic aspects of evidence-based medicine and its application through clinical practice guidelines, protocols, and clinical pathways.
• Apply tools for searching scientific evidence and publishing experiences and quality improvement initiatives.
• Explain the application of Lean Management.
• Understand and discuss the importance of efficiency as a dimension of quality.
• Introduce and develop economic evaluation methods in healthcare: cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-utility analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and cost-consequence analysis.
• Assess and analyze the influence of costs on healthcare decision-making.
• Understand and critically evaluate cost studies and healthcare quality.
• Understand the organizational approach to achieving and rewarding value-based care.
• Analyze and discuss value-based healthcare service delivery according to Michael E. Porter.
• Describe the characteristics of integrated care, its models, evaluation, and outcomes.