Washington, D.C. – Today, 590 long term and post-acute care providers in 48 states were recognized with the 2019 Bronze - Commitment to Quality Award by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). The Bronze award is the first of three distinctions possible through the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program, which honors long term and post-acute care providers that have demonstrated their commitment to improving the quality of care for seniors and individuals with disabilities.
“The recipients of the Bronze award are making it their mission to deliver quality care for our nation’s elders and individuals with disabilities,” said Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “This year, we have more Bronze recipients than ever before, and I’m convinced that because of their commitment, our profession will continue to grow stronger and make a national impact.”
Implemented by AHCA/NCAL in 1996, the National Quality Award Program is centered on the core values and criteria of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, which is also the basis of the metric-based AHCA/NCAL Quality Initiative. The Baldrige program helps organizations across different business sectors use strategies to improve performance and organizational effectiveness.
“I applaud this year’s Bronze recipients for taking this important step towards quality improvement,” said the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Board of Overseers Chair Alana Wolfe. “I encourage these providers to continue their path to achieve the highest of quality care.”
A full list of the recipients is available on the AHCA/NCAL Quality Award website
here.
The AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program has three levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Providers begin the quality improvement process at the Bronze level, where they assess their organization’s mission, vision, and key factors that lead to success. They also develop an organizational profile and must demonstrate their ability to implement a performance improvement system. Trained examiners review each application to determine if the center has met the demands of the criteria. Bronze recipients may move forward in developing approaches and achieving performance levels that meet the criteria required for the AHCA/NCAL Silver - Achievement in Quality Award.
The Association will announce the 2019 Silver - Achievement in Quality and Gold – Excellence in Quality Award recipients in the coming months. The 2019 National Quality Award Program is sponsored by AHCA/NCAL Associate Business Members: First Quality, NRC Health, Team TSI Corporation, and MatrixCare. Recipient organizations will be honored during
AHCA/NCAL’s 70th Convention & Expo, October 13-16, 2019 in Orlando, Florida.
ABOUT AHCA/NCAL
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represents more than 13,700 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers and homes for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. By delivering solutions for quality care, AHCA/NCAL aims to improve the lives of the millions of frail, elderly and individuals with disabilities who receive long term or post-acute care in our member facilities each day. For more information, please visit www.ahca.org or www.ncal.org.