ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Health Center (MLK) developed two simple questionnaires which it periodically gave to samples of the patient population to determine how satisfied patients were with the practitioners and personnel with whom they interacted. All deaths or severe drug reactions that come to the attention of any team member at MLK must be reported on a special form to the Health Care Evaluation Committee. The development of a system to encourage and handle patient complaints has been a somewhat unique activity begun at MLK. In 1976 the Evaluation Unit of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine under the direction of Dr. Mildred Morehead evaluated MLK in comparison with over 100 other health centers. The procedures for health care evaluation are classified into four groups, starting with the simplest to administer and ending with the most complex.
