QUALITY MANAGEMENT
- Quality Management
- Quality Improvement
- National Quality Strategies
- Mentorship for Quality in Nutrition and Dietetics Program
- Quality Management Committee
- Quality Offerings and Resources
Quality Management is a continuous, systematic process with four main components:
- Quality planning: identifying standards and determining how to meet them. This proactive approach ensures meeting stakeholder requirements and expectations.
- Quality assurance: activities to monitor processes, compare with standards, and implement a feedback loop to prevent errors.
- Quality control: ensures deliverables meet standards.
- Continuous process improvement: systematic and continuous actions leading to measurable service improvement using a quality improvement framework.
Credentialed Practitioners (CPs) in nutrition and dietetics can play a vital role in quality management and process improvement across all practice areas. Quality Management can be both a practice area and a career path for credentialed practitioners.
For more on careers in quality, see the Quality Forum: Career Advice from RDN Quality Experts (FNCE 2021) recording for a showcase of credentialed practitioners that specialize in quality, insights from their career journeys, and job advice and guidance on quality specific certifications.
This Careers in Quality handout also highlights the role of CPs can have in the quality sector.
For tools to support quality knowledge, explore the Quality Resource Collection, which offers a comprehensive index of resources supporting quality management as a critical component of the field.
Quality in healthcare is the degree to which health services increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge (National Academy of Medicine).
Quality Improvement (QI) focuses on systematic and continuous actions that lead to standardizing processes.
Performance Improvement (PI) systematically identifies and resolves performance problems, through analysis, interventions, and evaluation, with the goal of sustaining the new process.
The Quality Improvement 101 video provides a brief introduction to quality management concepts and tools. Furthermore, when developing a PI project, it is important to follow structured steps to support success.
Most importantly, QI can be done at any level without requiring a degree or certification. Securing leadership support and aligning QI efforts with organizational strategic plans is essential, along with pre- and post-project data collection relevant to the QI problem.
Some of the benefits of QI include:
- Reduce costs and/or waste
- Improve service delivery and outcomes
- Support strategic planning
- Enhance accountability for actions
- Foster positive intra- and inter-professional team relationships
- Recognize excellence
The below graph shows the recommended steps for any QI/PI project. However, there is flexibility for smaller initiatives. The Quality and Process Improvement Basics 30-minute video explains at depth each of the steps in the structure and offers some examples for some of the key components.
With this structure in mind, this action plan can support QI/PI project teams in achieving their goals. Having a plan in place can greatly support the steps to achieve the project goal.
Launched in 2022, the National Quality Strategies (NQS) by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) enhances healthcare quality and safety of health care, emphasizing equitable care, while utilizing all of CMS’ programs. The handout Understanding NQS and Its Impact in Nutrition and Dietetics can support further understanding of the NQS. The Health Equity in Nutrition and Dietetics Practice can also guide CPs in how they can further support equitable care.
The Mentorship for Quality in Nutrition and Dietetics Program, is designed to support credentialed practitioners in the process of developing and implementing continuous quality improvement projects, including the Global Malnutrition Composite Score and Nutrition Care Process in their facility.
- Additional information can be found in the program guide.
Important 2025-2026 program dates:
- July 1st - 15th: Application for mentors and mentees open
- July 16th - August 16th: Mentor and mentee selection
- August 16th - 22th: Communication regarding acceptance to program
- August 23rd - September 6th: Pre-program document completion and partnership introductions
- September 7th - 20th: Mentor and mentee agreement completion
- September 21st - March 31st: Mentorship program (self-paced)
- April 1st - 15th: Post-program survey and follow up
The Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)’s Quality Management Committee (QMC) provides support for CPs’ understanding of the importance of Quality Management and Quality Improvement Initiatives, by monitoring, developing, approving, evaluating, revising, educating, and maintaining quality in the practice of nutrition and dietetics. For more information and the opportunity to volunteer, email quality@eatright.org.
2025-2026 QMC Members:
- Emily Pacetti, MS, RD, CSG, LDN, Chair, 2024-2027
- Carrie L. Smith, Member, Vice-Chair, 2024-2027
- Emily Patten, PhD, RDN, Commissioner Representative, 2024-2025
- Laura J. Sugarwala, MBA, RD, Member 2024-2027
- Tana Bride, NDTR, Member, 2024-2027
- Jamie Epting, MS, RD, CDN, FAND, Member, 2025-2028
- Amit Sood, MS, RD, CSSD, PMP, LSSBB, CPOSP, CSCM, DACP, Member, 2025-2028
- LaDale Walker, MS, RDN, CPHQ, Member, 2025-2028
- Jordan Callahan, NDTR, Member, 2025-2028
Interested in supporting the growth of the nutrition and dietetics profession? During the next call for volunteers, explore all upcoming opportunities in the myCDR portal under the ‘Volunteer Opportunities’ tab.
New to Quality and Process Improvement?
- Click here to download a handout to assess where to start.
Searching for resources in quality in nutrition and dietetics?
- Click here for a list of available free CPE resources
- Below is a list of quality related resources for your professional development: