Bronze Commitment to Quality Thank You to Our Sponsors:

Transcription

1 2014 AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program Recipient Planning Guide and Product Catalog Bronze Commitment to Quality Thank You to Our Sponsors:

2 Congratulations on Your Award! AHCA/NCAL applauds your success in achieving an AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award at the Bronze Commitment to Quality Award level. You have taken the first step on a pathway to achieve performance excellence by developing systematic, sustainable, and person-centered care and services. AHCA/NCAL will highlight your achievement as part of our national press release announcing the 2014 National Quality Award recipients. To bring even greater attention to your individual achievements, AHCA/NCAL encourages you to help spread the word about your commitment to quality improvement, which will echo as pride in your staff, and remind your residents that their quality of life is paramount. The ideas in this booklet can help you to share this good news. But don t stop here there are many ways for you to celebrate this award and to increase awareness of the quality journey you have begun. Again, congratulations on earning your 2014 AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award at the Bronze Commitment to Quality Award level! This guide will help you to develop plans to celebrate your achievement and share it with the community you serve. Bronze Quality Award Planning Guide Page 1

3 Using the Quality Award Logo Each AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award recipient receives access to a Quality Award logo with the appropriate award level and year designation. AHCA/NCAL will provide award recipients with an electronic copy for display on websites, letterhead, print materials, or other appropriate uses where recipients might want to promote achieving a Quality Award. Please refer to the guidelines below for details regarding authorized use of the award logo by AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award recipients. The Integrity of the Message In any of your celebration activities and announcements to the community, make sure that you properly represent the level of award that you have received and what it means. Celebrating the Bronze Commitment to Quality Award is a declaration of your commitment to begin a journey of learning how to better meet the needs and expectations of your residents and their families, your employees, and your community by listening to your customers and continuously improving your systems and practices. In celebrating the Bronze Award, you are publically announcing that you want their support and input as you continue this journey. Your integrity and the integrity of the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award program depends on your willingness to balance the desire to celebrate and promote your organization with the reality that much of the quality journey is yet to be traveled. Logo Guidelines 1. Recipients may only use logos that include the award level and year designation, and matches the highest level achieved by the recipient. 2. When referencing the award designation in press releases or other printed materials, recipients should include a description of the award to reflect what this achievement represents. A standard description of the Quality Award program and the Bronze Award level are listed below; recipients may modify the following text as appropriate, but the intent of the wording should be retained in any final materials. The AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award has been designed as a progressive three-step process to encourage the continuous learning and development of integrated quality systems to achieve performance excellence. Each progressive step requires a more detailed and comprehensive demonstration of quality integration and performance. The criteria for each step is based on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. Bronze Commitment to Quality Award Reviewed by independent Examiners, applicants who receive the Bronze Award are able to describe their mission, characteristics, and key challenges and to recognize the relationship of these factors to their ability to achieve performance improvement. The Bronze Award recognizes that the provider has developed a foundation to begin a journey of continuous quality improvement, and does not necessarily correspond to any public measure of performance. 3. Quality Award recipients should ensure that the center as well as any individual or entity related to a center that has received a Quality Award does not reference the award or use the Bronze logo to promote ancillary services or programs that could be interpreted, especially by other providers, as a means to achieve a Bronze Award. 4. The Quality Award logo may be used in color or black & white. These logos are provided by AHCA/NCAL. 5. Quality Award recipients may wish to refer to AHCA/NCAL in materials describing the award. A standard description of AHCA/NCAL is listed below; recipients may modify the following text as appropriate. The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represent more than 12,000 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers and homes for individuals with intellectual and developmental 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 centers each day. Bronze Quality Award Planning Guide Page 2

4 Suggested Activities and Ideas Share Your Achievement at Work Let your staff know that their care and dedication are a vital part of the quality journey and achieving the Bronze Commitment to Quality Award. Celebrating this achievement together is a great way to remind each staff member how important he or she is to your organization and to your residents and their quality of life. In addition to announcing the award at a staff meeting, consider creating banners, posters, bulletin board messages, t-shirts, or a thank you paycheck stuffer to express appreciation to staff on all shifts for their efforts. A personal letter from upper management sent to the home of each staff member engages the employee s family and is a huge morale booster. Reward Staff for This Achievement Consider a staff celebration plan a picnic for staff and their families, or surprise everyone with pizza or cake and ice cream in the break room! A special ceremony to present Quality Award pins is a wonderful way to bring attention to this honor and gives your staff an opportunity to share their accomplishments with residents, guests, and family. Quality Award pins are available for order in the product catalog. Celebrate with Staff & Residents! Think about hosting a Quality Day that lets your residents join the celebration you might even serve a special dessert in honor of your award. Ask your residents to share what quality of life means to them, or something special that a member of your staff has done for them, then post their quotes on bulletin boards where staff and visitors can read them. You could also read them during a Quality Day gathering, which acknowledges the special efforts of staff, and allows your residents to express their appreciation, while being reminded that continuously improving their quality of life is your primary focus. Consider a staff celebration plan a picnic for staff and their families, or surprise everyone with pizza or cake and ice cream in the break room! Reach Out to Your Community Consider holding an Open House that invites families, physicians, therapists, referral agencies, community officials, business representatives, the media, and others in your community to understand your commitment to the quality journey that is represented by this award. Consider having a senior leader from your organization to provide a brief keynote address that lets your entire community know what it means to make a commitment to quality and what this award represents. Bronze Quality Award Planning Guide Page 3

5 Getting the Media Involved After you thank your staff and give your residents and their families an opportunity to join in on the celebration, it s time to share your achievement with a larger audience. Your local media can help to tell the story of your award, which will instill positive feelings in the community about the good work you are already doing. It will also raise awareness about your organization and its mission, and brand it as a group that is constantly striving for quality improvement. Contact your local news editors and reporters especially those who may have previously covered community outreach or activities at your residence. Send a press release to your contacts about one week before the event or desired coverage. Please contact AHCA/NCAL staff to receive a copy of the template press release for your award level. Be sure to tailor the template press release to your center by including type of services offered, resident capacity, number of employees, when established, and ownership; for example: [CENTER] was established in [YEAR] and is owned by [ORGANIZATION]. Approximately [NUMBER] employees serve up to [LICENSED CAPACITY] providing [LEVEL(S) OF SERVICE]. For further information contact: [ADMINISTRATOR/DIRECTOR S NAME AND TELEPHONE NUMBER]. When inviting local media, be sure to include your local weekly newspapers, smaller radio stations, and family-run media sources. Your local media can help tell the story of your award and raise awareness about your organization and your mission. Remember to Update Your Website! Be sure to update your website to highlight your Bronze Quality Award. Many people researching their long term care options may visit your website referencing the Quality Award on your home page lets online visitors know about your commitment to quality. Consider adding the Bronze Quality Award logo to your home page to represent your achievement. If you list news releases on your website, glean information from the AHCA/NCAL press release for your level of award. Show the Quality Award Logo Consider adding the Quality Award logo for your specific level of award to your newspaper ads, outdoor advertisements, and even your letterhead. Including the Quality Award logo in all of your center s advertising, and on your letterhead, reminds people that you are committed to quality. By accepting the award, each recipient agrees to observe the logo guidelines, as outlined on page 2. Media Outreach Write Letters to the Editor or Op-Ed pieces for your local newspaper. If appropriate, you may consider writing a Letter to the Editor that publicly thanks your employees and those in the community who have helped your organization earn this award. You might also consider asking a community leader or family member of one of your residents to write an Op-Ed piece or Letter to the Editor describing what your Quality Award means to them and to your community. Bronze Quality Award Planning Guide Page 4

6 Using Social Media to Promote Your Award Using new social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and others can greatly increase the visibility of your National Quality Award to anyone who uses the internet; including families, friends, neighbors, members of the media and even residents. What is Facebook? Facebook is a social networking website where you can create a personal or center profile, add friends and send messages. Facebook includes a number of unique features and applications, allowing you to update your personal or center profile as often as you like. How do I promote my award on Facebook? If your center is not currently on Facebook, you can create an account by visiting and clicking on Create a Page for a celebrity, band or business. You can then add information about your center to your profile, write thoughts on your Facebook Wall and search for and add friends or fans. Here, you can upload your Bronze Quality Award logo, post a message, or link to your press release (if available online) explaining what it means to be a Bronze Quality Award recipient (please see page 2 for text). Uploading photos or videos of your center staff is always a great addition. Remember to post pictures of staff receiving the award at Convention! Be sure to secure permission to post materials to the Web just as you would do for a photograph. What does it cost? Facebook is a free tool, so there is no charge to set up an account. What is Twitter? Twitter is a service that allows family, friends, colleagues, businesses and organizations to stay connected through short messages sent via the Web at Messages may also be sent via text messaging (SMS) or instant messaging. How do I use it? To create a personal account or a center account, visit and click on Get Started Now. After creating an account, you can post your first tweet, or status update. Enter in your tweet (140 characters or less) in the update box and click Update. A sample tweet promoting your award could read: [CENTER] has received a Bronze Quality Award from AHCA/NCAL! Congrats to the staff for their part in this effort! You can find friends to follow, meaning you will receive their tweets in your Twitter Home Page. To follow AHCA/NCAL, click on Find People, enter AHCA/NCAL and click Follow. Friends can also choose to follow your tweets. To use Twitter on your mobile phone or Blackberry, be sure to register your mobile device s number. For questions, help is available by visiting and clicking on Help. What does it cost? There is no charge for using Twitter. If you plan to use Twitter via your mobile phone, text charges may apply depending on your mobile phone plan. For more information, visit and click on Help at the bottom of the page. Bronze Quality Award Planning Guide Page 5

7 What s Next? AHCA/NCAL encourages you to continue your journey to the Silver and Gold levels, the Baldrige related quality award programs sponsored by many states, and ultimately to the Baldrige Performance Excellence Award. Here are some resources to consider as you continue your quality improvement journey: Silver Achievement in Quality: At this level, organizations that have previously received a Bronze award address the seven Baldrige Categories and the seventeen items within these categories. Applicants describe the approaches they systematically use, how they deploy these approaches, how the organizations learn for continual improvement and how approaches are integrated. The Silver Quality Award is a critical learning step for applicants. By addressing foundational components of quality, Silver applicants begin to see the importance of consistency and alignment of organizational processes and results. The objective of this level is to demonstrate that the organization s leaders are able to develop and implement performance improvement across service delivery systems using the context of the mission, evolving market conditions and challenges as described in their organizational profile. Applicants who receive the Silver Quality Award provide an extensive assessment of their systematic approaches, performance measures, and sustainable organizational and process results that are linked to the key customer requirements, success factors, and challenges they identified in their organizational profile. Results do not have to be superior, but they must be good or improving and clearly linked to process improvements. Having been recommended by a team of independent and trained Senior Examiners, the application must meet the final approval of a larger group of Senior Examiners. Gold Excellence in Quality: At this level, organizations that have previously received the Silver Quality Award address the entirety of the Baldrige Healthcare Criteria for Performance Excellence. The objective of this step is to demonstrate superior performance in service delivery/health care, customer satisfaction, financial, market, workforce, process management, and leadership outcomes over time. Responses to the criteria must demonstrate an effective, systematic approach to all of the requirements in each category that is well deployed with evidence of fact-based and systematic evaluation, improvement, learning, and innovation. Each approach should show how it is aligned or integrated with the organization s needs as described in the organizational profile and other process areas. Applicants who receive the Gold Quality Award are able to effectively demonstrate by approach, deployment, integration, and consistency of results, that they are best-in-class. Organizations recommended for an award at this level will receive a site visit by Examiners to confirm that what is described in the application is actually demonstrated in the daily operation of the organization. For detailed information about how to apply to the next level, visit the Quality Award website at qa.ahcancal.org. Bronze Quality Award Planning Guide Page 6

8 Order Form (For Quality Award Promotional Items Only Available Below) Product Number Item Description/Title Qty. Unit Price Total Cost Subtotal Shipping & Handling (Promotional Items Only) DC (5.75%) and MD (6%) customers only add sales tax Add $8.00 per Order Shipping & handling $8.00 Total Payment method: (Please check one, sorry, no cash or COD s) Check enclosed payable to AHCA (A $25.00 fee will be charged on all returned checks) Visa MasterCard American Express Acct #: AHCA/NCAL Quality Award Lapel Pin Price: $2.25 each Bronze: Product #5090B AHCA/NCAL Quality Award Tear-Drop Key Chain Price: $3.25 each Product #6839 Exp. Date: / Name as it appears on card: Signature: You can place your order by phone or fax and charge your purchase with Visa, MasterCard or American Express. AHCA awaits your call weekdays between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. (Eastern time). We suggest you list the items, product numbers, and quantities and have your credit card information handy for our staff when you call toll-free! Ordered By: (PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY) Name Title Organization Address City State Zip Phone Fax (Necessary to receive order confirmation) Ship To: (If different from Ordered By ) Name Organization Address City State Zip Phone Fax We cannot ship to a P.O. Box. This address is a: Center/Business Residence For Faster Service: Call toll-free: Fax your order: For mail orders, place in envelope and mail to: AHCA/NCAL Fulfilment PO Box 1340 Hurlock, MD AHCA/NCAL Quality Award Recipient Planning Order Form Guide for and Promotional Product Catalog Items

9 Quality-Focused Resources You can find these and more resources online at Meeting the Leadership Challenge in Long-Term Care What You Do Matters Product #8179 Price: $48.95 Baldrige Award Winning Quality How to Interpret the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence (17th Edition) Product #6913 Price: $59.95 Staff Stability Tool Kit Product #8281 Price: $74.95 Ending Hostial Readmissions A Blueprint for SNFs Product #8238 Price: $ Customer Service in Health Care A Grassroots Approach to Creating a Culture of Service Excellence Product #8230 Price: $29.95 Creating a Just Cutlure: A Nurse Leader s Guide Product #8297 Price: $49.00 Nursing Leadership for Patient-Centered Care Authenticity, Presense, Intuition, Expertise Product #8270 Price: $ Quality-Focused Resources

10 Quality-Focused Resources You can find these and more resources online at Team Leadership and Partnering in Nursing and Health Care Product #8306 Price: $xx Journey to Excellence: How Baldrige Health Care Leaders Succeed Product: #8125 Price: $62.00 Quality Assisted Living Informing Practice Through Research Product #8237 Price: $55.00 Engaging Service 22 Ways to Become a Service Superstar Product #8303 Price: $13.99 Measuring Quality Improvement in Healthcare Product #6912 Price: $ Quality-Focused Resources