The Technical Assistance (TA) Manual, developed by the HIV/AIDS Bureau, provides the tools necessary for staff in Ryan White Part A settings to develop and implement an effective quality management program. Organizations that are not Ryan White grantees can also benefit from these tools and recommendations.

Building an infrastructure for quality, creating a written quality management plan, and implementing the plan are explained in depth. The Manual incorporates detailed descriptions of key quality improvement strategies, including measurement and utilization of data. In addition, lessons learned from the collective experience of teams working to improve care and services for those living with HIV/AIDS are introduced to demonstrate the reality of quality improvement in this field.

This Manual also introduces and explains quality improvement strategies, including three models:

• The Collaborative Model
• The Model for Improvement
• The Chronic Care Model

These models form the theoretical foundation for successful, field-tested quality management interventions. The authors further demonstrate how to apply the three theoretical models in a clinical setting — a translation from theory into practice.