Launched in 2009, Quality First, Keeping the Promise is a framework created by AHCA to guide members in achieving advanced excellence. The initiative, which features the 7-5-5 Plan, focuses on comprehensive success, advocating for an increased quality of care, quality of service, and quality of life for residents, patients, families, and an improved working environment for staff members.

Today’s initiative is the continuation of  AHCA’s Quality First campaign, which was launched in 2002 in partnership with the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care. Hallmarked by a commitment to continuous quality improvement, the initial profession-led effort laid the groundwork for a greater public awareness of the profession’s quality improvement initiatives.

The original Quality First campaign brought providers together under a comprehensive quality initiative, asking member facilities to sign a pledge in which they promised to provide consistent service that met the expectations of residents, patients, families, and staff members. Within a few years, more than 6,000 member facilities signed on to Quality First. 

For the first time in the profession’s history, the Quality First initiative successfully fostered public discourse between long term care professionals, government agencies, residents, patients, families, and the general public. While AHCA technically retired the pledge in 2006, the profession’s commitment to quality lived on.

In response to the ever-evolving health care debate, AHCA launched Quality First, Keeping the Promise in 2009.  This effort provides members with a clear path to success and offers facilities the Principles to guide providers toward continuous quality improvement and performance excellence, knowledge regarding the five Vital Signs every facility should monitor, and the right Performance Tools to measure success.