` Quality Management in Japanese Health Care

Six years ago in the year 2000 the World Health Organization ranked the Japanese health care system as one of the best in the world. Nevertheless health policy makers in Japan are facing hard times in adapting the health care system to the needs of the 21st century: While Japanese companies are overcoming last decade's recession and are regaining their top positions in the global market with excellent product quality several scandals caused by maltreatment and clinical errors have lead to a sharply decline in consumer confidence in Japanese hospitals People are demanding more quality and better transparency in the supply of medical services. After providing an overview of the Japanese health care system and particularly the hospital industry the paper's aim is to describe institutionalized efforts for better quality in Japanese hospitals. The paper not only focuses on the development of the quality idea since the mid 1980 s but it also describes the up to date situation of quality management systems in Japanese health care.