2010 AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program - Bronze Application Process – Tim Case Courtney Krier

2 AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award 3 Steps to Baldrige Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Bronze – Organizational Profile 5-page Limit Silver – Core Values and Concepts 18-page Limit Gold – Health Care Criteria for Performance Excellence 50-page Limit

3 Bronze Requirements Responses to 2.0 criteria in two areas: Organizational Description Organizational Environment Organizational Relationships Organizational Situations Competitive Environment Strategic Context Performance Improvement System Let’s take a look at the criteria.

4 Writing the Application Be thorough, but concise, in response to the criteria. Address every section of each criterion. e.g., a.3.: Mission and how it is communicated. Be sure to say that your mission statement is posted in the lobby, EVEN if you have stated that it is very important to you. e.g., a.4.: Organization’s employee base...“education levels” Be sure to address every section, so say something about the education level of the staff, not just their licensure. Pay close attention to the space budget for each section. Plan ahead, outline before writing. Write in complete narrative sentences. Say enough, say it well, then stop. Have someone proof read the application for formatting, grammar, spelling, punctuation, flow…

5 Bronze: Keys to Success There are no trick questions. The Bronze Award is judged based on completeness. The applicant who addresses all criteria thoroughly - and specifically, according to the criteria - is likely to be successful. Labeling sections as directed is required. Passion, creativity, a genuine voice, a compelling story – these help a complete application to stand out. And they really come into play at the Silver level. Subjectivity is built into the judging process. Leave no holes.

6 Eligibility Requirements (Bronze) Member of AHCA/NCAL. No substandard quality of care or immediate jeopardy on any surveys within the last three years. Applicants with multi-levels of care may elect to apply for the entire organization or may apply for a distinct part of the organization. Applicants must participate in a Quality Award educational program (by participating in this webinar, you have met the requirement).

7 Technical Requirements 5 page limit - 8 ½ by 11” page size, 12-pt Times New Roman font, 1” margins. Pages must be numbered. Must complete all sections of the application and label responses appropriately. Applications should be written in prose style using complete sentences. Graphs, charts and tables are encouraged. Graphs do not need to be 12pt but must be clear. $300 Bronze Application Fee.

Submitting Your Application Bronze applications are submitted electronically via AHCA/NCAL website ( Deadline to submit is February 26, 2010; 11:59pmEST. Late applications will not be accepted! Submit one ’97-’03 Microsoft Word document that includes responses to criteria (5-page limit). All successful submissions will generate a confirmation .

9 Remember! You are responsible for what you submit. – Draft versions – Incomplete versions – Incorrectly formatted versions – Late submissions The first application you submit will be reviewed.

10 Making Payment Payment must be made online with a credit card. In order to sign into the payment system, your facility must be a current member of AHCA/NCAL and you must have a username and password. Before submitting your application… – Contact your state affiliate to check your membership status. – For individuals already in the membership system, retrieve your password by visiting: – Check to make sure you have access to a valid credit card to make payment.

11 Ethical Requirements When you submit an application you are personally certifying that; The application is an accurate and true reflection of the application of the AHCA/NCAL award criteria to this facility. The content of this application is original to this facility and was not supplied by others, including the corporate office, parent company, or external consultants (mission statement exempt). You understand that if the application is deemed by AHCA/NCAL not to meet these requirements, it will be disqualified and the application fee will be forfeited. Applications will be compared against other current and previous applications to screen for originality.

12 Non-Originality 3c. All suppliers must maintain a high standard in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the corporation's product Standard Review Committee. Likewise, all business relationships must meet corporate compliance codes that are disseminated to each XXX business unit and monitored for strict adherence by the organization's internal audit system.must maintain a high standard in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the corporation's product Standard Review Committee. Likewise, all business relationships must meet corporate compliance codes that are disseminated to eachbusiness unit and monitored for strict adherence by the organization's internal audit system. 3c. Each supplier must maintain a high standard accordance with the guidelines set forth by the corporation's Product Standard Review Committee. All business relationships must meet corporate compliance standards that are provided to each business unit and monitored for strict adherence by the organization's internal audit system.must maintain a high standard accordance with the guidelines set forth by the corporation's Product Standard Review Committee. All business relationships must meet corporate compliance standards that are provided to each business unit and monitored for strict adherence by the organization's internal audit system.

13 Multi-Facility Coordination Tips If you mandate that your facilities apply, make sure they have the resources to do it well. You can not supply any text to be used verbatim in a facilities application. Warn facilities against copying text verbatim from corporate materials. Coordinators (including consultants) can function as application reviewers, but not as application writers.

For more information... For more information about the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program, please contact either Tim Case at or Courtney Krier at

Quality Award Schedule Bronze Award Application DeadlineFebruary 26, 2010 Silver, Gold Award Application DeadlineMarch 31, 2010 Application Assessment/ScoringApril – July 2010 Silver Award Recipient NotificationJune 15, 2010 Bronze Award Recipient NotificationJune 30, 2010 Gold Award Recipient NotificationAugust 30, Feedback Report Distribution DeadlineSeptember 30, 2010 AHCA/NCAL Convention and Award Ceremony October, 2010