Quality Improvement Plan Guide: Guidance and Resources to Assist State and Territorial Health Agencies
October 01, 2025
ASTHO's Quality Improvement Plan Guide supports health agencies in the states, territories, and freely associated states as they work to create Quality Improvement (QI) plans, aligned with Public Health Accreditation Board standards and measures. Where there is no standard workflow for developing an agency QI plan, this guide simplifies the process by breaking it down into four distinct categories:
- Organize: This phase focuses on the preparations involved prior to creating a QI plan, which includes deciding who will be involved, the overall scope, and the development timeline.
- Assess the Environment: The QI plan should serve as a strategic tool that bridges the gap between current state and the ideal future state; conducting an assessment of the current environment is key to doing so. This should be structured to evaluate the organization's commitment to/knowledge of QI and help identify current QI activities and culture.
- Set Priorities and Develop the Plan: The next step is all about considering and detailing QI priorities, goals, and other key planning elements. It is important to define each element well and ensure that they fully align with one another.
- Implement, Track, Review, and Adapt: Finally, it's time to chart out strategies for implementation as well as monitoring QI activities. Then, monitor progress, effectiveness, and opportunities for improvement for continued improvements over time.
By following the steps laid out in the guide, health agencies can enhance their performance management and quality improvement efforts.
This resource was updated in October 2025 with modernized guidance, updated tools and resources, and real-world examples; it was originally published in April 2014.