| Highly Reliable Organization Matrix |
| Criteria for Performance Excellence* | Inpatient | Skilled Nursing | Ambulatory Care | Public Hospitals | Private/Not for Profit |
| Leadership |
| Strategic planning |
| Customer and market focus |
| Measurement, analysis, and knowledge management |
| Human resource focus | Example: The staffing ratio of nurses to patients is lower in highly reliable health care organizations. |
| Process management |
| Business/organizational performance results |
| * Reference: Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) |