Did you hear the news that this year two free-standing assisted living communities earned Gold-Excellence in Quality Awards? Maine Veterans Home – Machias and Sunrise of Gurnee are the first to ever attain this distinction in the history of the program.

What are you waiting for? Applying for a National Quality Award is an opportunity to show residents, family members and the community at large your organization’s commitment to continuous quality improvement, and to establish recognition on a national level. Get ready to begin your journey today!

To get started, sign up to attend our Writing a Winning Quality Award Workshops on August 21 and 22. 

Next, submit your Intent to Apply for the 2019 AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program! Based on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework, the program recognizes long term and post-acute care member centers and communities nationally for quality care.

Participating in the Quality Award Program has many benefits, including:

• Provides a proven framework that organizations can use to make improvements in any clinical, quality or other operational issue (i.e. staff engagement, customer satisfaction, hospital readmissions)
• Helps prepare organizations to meet regulatory requirements and navigate a changing market
• Serves as a team building activity to engage staff across all levels of the organization
• Provides external validation of high quality care and services
• Serves as a marketing resource for consumers, referral sources and other key stakeholders
• Participants receive customized feedback with their top strengths and improvement areas

The Intent to Apply deadline is Thursday, November 8, 2018 at 8 p.m. Eastern. While not mandatory, applicants who submit the Intent to Apply will save money on their overall application fee and receive extra educational resources. No paperwork or application is needed to submit the Intent to Apply. Access the 2019 Intent to Apply payment process on the Quality Award Portal today!

To download the Bronze, Silver and Gold application packets and free educational resources, visit the Quality Award website. For additional information, contact qualityaward@ahca.org.