Citations
Abstract
This dissertation developed and applied a Quality 5.0 (Q5.0) maturity-assessment instrument for nonprofit healthcare delivery organizations. The study addressed a literature gap: no prior research had operationalized Q5.0 for nonprofit healthcare and applied it in a comparative empirical assessment. The four-principle, ninety-one-action instrument, grounded in the Capability Maturity Model lineage, was applied to five Atlanta-MSA nonprofit healthcare delivery organizations (Emory Healthcare, Grady Health System, Northside Hospital, Piedmont Healthcare, Wellstar Health System) across the 2021–2025 window. The methodology used publicly available textual evidence; IRS Form 990 filings, Community Health Needs Assessments, Community Benefit Reports, organizational websites, audited financial statements, and external public-record sources, and an artificial intelligence research assistant operating under researcher supervision. Findings include a five-by-four maturity matrix in which Stakeholder Centricity emerged as the most mature principle (cross-organizational mean 77.5 percent, Level 4 Managed); Technology Integration emerged as the least mature (30.0 percent, Level 2 Developing); and Human Centricity (54.5 percent) and Sustainable Value Creation (61.7 percent) occupied intermediate positions. The study contributes a Q5.0 Maturity Model and Index for nonprofit healthcare; a replicable methodology for applying the model; a theoretical integration of the Capability Maturity Model with Q5.0; a model for using agentic generative artificial intelligence in Q5.0 assessment; and a generalized model for agentic-AI assistance in business research. Conclusions support the development of an empirically-grounded Q5.0 maturity instrument for nonprofit healthcare and identify three lines of future research: quantitative correlation with established healthcare quality indices, qualitative case study of Q5.0 implementation in purpose-driven organizations, and cross-industry application of the maturity model.
