Quality of care has always been a concern in the U.S. health care system. Althoughgreat strides have been madeto improve the quality of care delivered, many critics still believe thatthe United States has a long way to go before truly delivering uniform quality care.

• How would you define quality of care from the provider and patient perspectives?
• Why do youbelieve that quality can be viewed as a strength and a weakness of the U.S. health care system?
• Be sure to provide at least 2 reasons for this, and provide specific examples for discussion.
• Identify several difficulties and several benefits of working with licensed independent practitioners to improve quality in a typical hospital. What considerations should managers keep in mind when working with them?