While quality improvement methods and approaches have become well accepted in American Industry, they have been slower to catch on in the largest American industry ;and arguably the most important: the health care services.A clear understanding of basic quality improvement methods, applications, and approaches is critical foundation for a successful career in health care administration. Building on the success of his previous text, Quality Management in Health Care: Principles and Methods, Dr. Lighter's new book, Basics of Performance Improvement; A Six Sigma Approach, is an ideal first course for students learning the basics of the Six Sigma, and its application in improving health care quality and patient outcomes. Ideal for both undergraduate and graduate level courses, the book also serves as an excellent reference for basic quality improvement approaches for QI professionals. Topic areas include:? Creating the business case for improving healthcare performance ? Group Processes in healthcare PI? Process tools in QI? Medical informatics and data resources? Process control? Advanced statistical applications? Approaches to improvement - standardization? Integration of care systems? Alignment and integration of performance improvement systems ; the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award? Accreditation and certification programs