09nov association News

Contents

Message from the Board

Quality Collaborative

Time to Recertify Your CPHQ Credential

Nearly 40 members sat for the CPHQ exam at the NAHQ National Educational Conference last month. Have you checked that certificate on your wall to see whether your CPHQ certification is up for renewal this year? Remember, certification renewals are due every 2 years, and you have until December 31 to record your hours and recertify. Don't be caught unaware! Half of those who lose their certifying credential do so because they were not aware of when their recertification cycle ended.

Although the Healthcare Quality Certification Board (HQCB) sends out periodic reminders, it’s up to you to get your recertification materials into HQCB on time. If you lose your credential, you must sit for the exam again to regain certification. Simply click here to recertify online or download an application to mail or fax to the HQCB. You can record your continuing education hours on the Web site. To ensure you receive your recertification reminders, be sure to contact HQCB at 800/346-4722. For frequently asked questions, visit www.cphq.org/2FAQs.html.

HQF Thanks Members for Their Support

Happy November from the Healthcare Quality Foundation (HQF)! This month is filled with crisp air, beautiful foliage, great recipes, and compassionate gifts. It’s also the perfect time for HQF to express its warmest thanks for your support. NAHQ members’ generosity has allowed HQF to award $8,000 in individual and state education grants in 2009. These funds sponsored ongoing professional development for individual quality professionals and helped to support educational courses that have positively affected the healthcare quality community.

    More good news: HQF is still accepting applications for the Past President’s Leadership Development Grant. To ensure that NAHQ members have adequate time to explore all the possibilities this grant offers, no application deadline has been placed on this opportunity.
    This grant is designed to recognize a rising leader within NAHQ who demonstrates a commitment to service within the quality profession. The recipient will be granted $1,000 in support of education that nurtures leadership potential. Because it is intended to groom future leaders for the organization, the recipient will also have the privilege of working on a strategic project with the NAHQ Board of Directors. Eligibility requirements include having NAHQ membership for at least 5 years, performing active service in a state association for at least 3 years, and having CPHQ certification.
    If you or someone you know meets these criteria, please apply today. HQF would be honored to consider you for this inaugural grant. For more information and to access the application, please visit www.nahq.org/hqf.
    HQF is very proud of its accomplishments to date, and our team is already preparing for an exciting new year. All additional donations received in 2009 will help support the grant funds awarded in 2010, so as you gear up for a season of giving, we hope you will consider donating to our foundation.

Fellowship—Intent to Apply

Do you or do you know a NAHQ member who demonstrates dedication to excellence and commitment to leadership in the healthcare quality field? NAHQ is proud to offer its Fellowship Program, developed by the Healthcare Quality Foundation (HQF), to recognize NAHQ members who make outstanding contributions to the field of healthcare quality and act as a blueprint for an ideal career path in the healthcare quality profession. Recognition of outstanding association leaders benefits not only those honored but also those who seek role models in the healthcare quality field.
NAHQ strongly urges all members to review the NAHQ Fellowship Application before deciding to apply; changes occur from year to year. Declare your intent to apply with a letter directed to the NAHQ Fellowship Review Board (FRB) Chair, Sarah Tackett, by January 29, 2010.
Applications should be submitted electronically to Sherry Wallingford, NAHQ staff, at swallingford@nahq.org. The FRB will match you with a fellow to assist you in the application process and share knowledge, information, and expertise to help further develop your skills and help you achieve fellowship within NAHQ. To be considered for this program, you must declare your intent to apply by January 29, 2010.

Upcoming HcPro Conferences

Medication management and preventing healthcare-associated infections are at the top of any quality professional’s list. NAHQ is pleased to offer two December Webcasts, produced by HcPro, bringing important solutions in both of these areas. NAHQ members enjoy a discount on these quality Webcast programs.

Overcome Medication Management Challenges
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Noon CST
$199 NAHQ Member/$259 Nonmember
Learn more and register

Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections through Evidence-Based Practices
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Noon – 1:30 pm CST
$199 NAHQ Member/$259 Nonmember
Learn more and register

NAHQ Celebrates Another Successful Healthcare Quality Week

Quality professionals like you made National Healthcare Quality Week 2009 a success. From quality fairs to educational programs, NAHQ members and quality supporters got involved in many different ways.
    NAHQ learned of several events hosted by hospitals, including Saint Joseph’s Hospital of Atlanta; Baylor Medical Center in Carrollton, TX; Memorial Hospital in Belleville, IL; and Mission Hospitals in Asheville, NC. These facilities hosted luncheons, poster presentations, and quality demonstrations and distributed quality awards.
    Several state associations garnered Healthcare Quality Week proclamations from their governors, including Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Connecticut, and Texas.
    Thousands more quality professionals benefitted from the focus on healthcare quality:

More than 2,100 members earned free JHQ CE.
Nearly 30 sites participated in the HQW Web cast “Leaning Toward Performance Improvement”
More than 25 people took the CPHQ review course to prepare for their exam.

Visit the Healthcare Quality Week page on the NAHQ Web site to see pictures from events around the country. Mark your calendars now: National Healthcare Quality Week 2010 will be October 17–23.

Check Out NAHQ’s Resource Center

Have you checked out the NAHQ Resource Center, where shared documents are stored from the Special Interest Group (SIG) Listservs? When you open the NAHQ Resource Center page, in the Members-Only section of www.nahq.org, you will find the most recent postings within each Listserv, some of which are further categorized as articles, forms, and policies, etc.
Here are two examples of the valuable information found on the Resource Center from the Managed Care and Acute Care listservs:

CMS survey and certification letters, from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: A link to this site offers important information for all healthcare quality professionals, providing tools that may have an impact on your practice setting.
Medical Record Audit Tool, Part 3: Surgical Services: This useful Word document (found under the Tools folder) for compliance can be modified to meet the needs of any facility or hospital.

Remember that the NAHQ Resource Center is member-driven and only contains what members have shared with each other since the January 2009 launch of the SIGs.