Reviews the key principles and methods that comprise the current state of medical quality management in U.S. health care.

Provides a concise summary of utilization management including general approaches and methods, support systems, regulatory constructs, and common outcomes.

Describes the current state of global networks, computing technologies, and increasingly sophisticated medical informatics programs as well as the barriers which data systems can present to improved quality management.

Provides an overview of important legislation, regulation, and case law on which quality of care is based in various health care structures and processes.

Emphasizes the importance of continually evaluating cost-quality interactions as a basis for improving performance, budgeting, and policymaking by health care organizations.

Focuses on the application of medical ethics in a health care system that is increasingly driven by issues of economics, consumer demand, and availability of medical information and technologies.