09oct association News

Contents

Message from the Board

Quality Collaborative

Congratulations, 2009 National Award Winners!

NAHQ’s best and brightest were honored at the 34th Annual Educational Conference in September. NAHQ President Cathy Munn spotlighted the award winners during the Annual Meeting in Grapevine, TX, and spoke of the importance of quality professionals and their image to the public. “The level of dedication exhibited by these individuals demonstrates the integrity that each one has in the role that they play in ongoing quality and patient safety. Every NAHQ member is committed to ensuring the quality of care and outcomes that we have come to expect as healthcare consumers.”

Claire Glover Distinguished Member Award for Contributions to the Healthcare Quality Profession: Linda Liewer, BSN MPH CPHQ, Baylor Surgical Hospital, Ft. Worth, TX
Luc R. Pelletier Healthcare Quality Award for Improving Organizational Performance: Claire M. Davis, RN CPHQ FNAHQ, Norwalk Hospital, Norwalk, CT
Rising Quality Star Award: Stephanie Iorio, BSN RN CPHQ CPC, American Data Network, Little Rock, AR
JHQ Golden Pen Award: Diane Storer Brown, PhD RN CPHQ FNAHQ, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA
JHQ Golden Pen Award for New Authors: Susan W Hendrickson, CPHQ, Via Christi Regional Medical Center, Wichita, KS
NAHQ Award for Association Excellence: Gold—Texas Association for Healthcare Quality; Silver—Florida Association for Healthcare Quality; Bronze—Indiana Association for Healthcare Quality
NAHQ State Association Subcategory Award: Newsletter/Web Site Award—Arizona; Educational Program Award—Delaware

HQF Donations Spurred On by Good Ol’ Line Dancing

More than 70 members donated $25 each and pulled on their boots to dance the night away at the Healthcare Quality Foundation (HQF) line-dancing event held during the annual conference in Grapevine, TX.

With a little help from instructors, attendees learned the moves while raising money to fund educational grants for NAHQ members and state affiliated organizations. See the NAHQ members kick up their heels in a short video on the NAHQ Facebook fan page. “Thanks to American Data Network’s generous sponsorship, HQF will be able to utilize all proceeds from the fundraiser to expand its reach and impact in the healthcare quality community,” said HQF coteam leader Stephanie Lorio. “This was such a success.”

HQF is considering plans to host a similar line-dancing event at NAHQ’s 2010 Annual Educational Conference in Nashville, TN. Additionally, HQF hosted a booth in the exhibit hall where attendees made donations to enter drawings for more than a dozen prizes, including a $250 gift card, a portable DVD player, and an iPod Touch. Combined, these fundraising efforts raised more than $3,600 for the HQF. “We would like to thank all the attendees and vendors on behalf of the HQF team who contributed and made this one of the most successful conference fundraisers to date by embracing our motto, We raise money to give it away!” said Lecia Albright, a HQF coteam leader. Click here to learn more about the HQF grant opportunities or to make a donation.

HQF Past Presidents Grant

Apply to become the first recipient of the Past Presidents Leadership Grant. Funded by NAHQ past presidents, this grant is designed to help you build your leadership skills as you assist the board of directors in leading a project connected to the strategic plan. A $1,000 stipend is included to cover expenses. The skills you gain will help you advance in any career, so apply today.

Abstract Deadline for the 2010 Annual Educational Conference: October 30

It’s your last chance to submit an abstract for NAHQ’s upcoming 35th Annual Educational Conference! The abstract submission site closes on Friday, October 30, at Midnight, Central Time. Here's your opportunity to shape the field of healthcare quality. The conference, entitled “Striking a Chord for Quality,” is September 30–October 3, 2010, in Nashville, TN, at the Gaylord Opryland. Click here for more information.

Healthcare Quality Week: Register for our Education Events

Healthcare Quality Week (HQW) Webcast: Attend Leaning Toward Performance Improvement by NAHQ past president Thomas M. Smith, MA RN CPHQ IQCI, on Wednesday, October 21, 3 pm Eastern Time. This session will highlight the Lean process and its impact on the healthcare industry, specifically projects in health information management systems, operating rooms, and emergency departments. Register for 1.5 continuing education (CE) hours.

CPHQ Review Course: Don't miss this day-and-a-half Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) Review Course on Thursday, October 22, 8 am–5 pm, and Friday, October 23, 8 am—Noon at Alexian Brothers Medical Center, Elk Grove Village, IL, presented by Christy Beaudin, PhD CPHQ FNAHQ LCSW, coauthor of Q-Solutions: Essential Resources for the Healthcare Quality Professional, Second Edition. The course is designed to help those who are planning to take the CPHQ examination and will follow the exam matrix to focus your study efforts. Participants should come to the workshop with functional knowledge in areas identified in the CPHQ exam outline, which may be obtained at www.cphq.org. Ten CE hours will be awarded at the completion of the course.
Quality Boot Camp: Need a leadership refresher course? NAHQ's Quality Boot Camp: Basic Training for Improving Organizational Performance will be held at the Alexian Brothers Medical Center, Elk Grove Village, IL, on October 23, 8 am–5 pm. The training will be taught by Kathryn Clinefelter, MSN MBA CPHQ FNAHQ, Institute for Child Health Policy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, and Sandi O'Neal, MS MEd RN CPHQ, Florida Health Care Plans, Holly Hill, FL. Improve the leadership skills that are necessary to establish a culture for quality. Learn how to focus on the customer's needs and expectations for quality and how to use data and analyses that support process improvements. Seven CE hours will be awarded at the completion of the course.
Don't forget about FREE Journal for Healthcare Quality (JHQ) CE hours during Healthcare Quality Week! Members have the opportunity to earn credits during October 18–24 through JHQ articles at no cost.
Proclamation for Healthcare Quality Week: In anticipation of Healthcare Quality Week, the Florida Association for Healthcare Quality (FAHQ) recently received a Proclamation from Governor Charlie Crist to celebrate the event. See our September NAHQ e-news story on Governor Crist and FAHQ President Sam Elizondo.

Please let us know of your activities during Healthcare Quality Week, which will be featured in the November issue of NAHQ e-news. Send your photos and captions to abelden@nahq.org by Wednesday, October 28.

Journal for Healthcare Quality Call for Papers

Manuscripts Wanted: Leveraging Health Information Technology for Quality
Special Issue: September/October 2010

Health Information Technology (HIT) is no longer a concept or requires a business case. HIT is an essential building block to better healthcare, yet challenges abound. There is no single system or path that effectively and efficiently implements HIT and yields the desired outcomes in im-proving health care quality, preventing medical errors, increasing efficiency, and improving population health.
This JHQ special issue provides a forum for healthcare professionals to dialogue about how to leverage HIT in all settings (acute care, outpatient care, managed care, long-term care, home health, ancillary vendors, etc.) to improve quality including, but not limited to, topics of applied research on:

Effective implementation of HIT
The role of quality professionals in leading change through the use of HIT
The integration of physicians and other clinicians in the process of improving quality through HIT
Changes in processes and workflows to maximize the use of HIT and improved outcomes
Effective strategies of how to overcome barriers and enable efficient implementation
Robust case studies of improved outcomes as a result of HIT implementation

The journal’s editors are currently soliciting manuscripts for a timely and relevant issue on the practical and applied research findings of how to leverage HIT for better health care quality, improved patient safety and/or improved delivery efficiencies.
Individuals interested in submitting a paper for publication in this issue should review the JHQ Information for Authors at www.blackwellpublishing.com/jhq. If you have questions or would like to discuss ideas on a manuscript for possible publication, please contact Kevin Park, MD CHCA, editorial board member at 702/ 994-2958 or email at kevin.park@attesthealth.com.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is February 22, 2010.

Don’t Miss the Benefits of NAHQ’s Resource Center and SIGs

Do you ever wish you could quickly put your hands on a policy or guideline that you need for your facility or department? No doubt, other NAHQ members either have that resource or are looking for it, too. Now you can search the NAHQ Resource Center, found at NAHQ PLUS, the Members-Only section of www.nahq.org. The Resource Center contains documents shared via the Special Interest Group (SIG) Listservs and other great resources to assist NAHQ members. The Resource Center documents are divided among the six SIGS: Acute, Behavioral, Critical Access/Rural Healthcare, Home Healthcare, Long-term Care, and Managed Care. The first page of the Resource Center lists the most recent postings, and the list can be searched by articles, forms, and policies. Please note that the Resource Center is member-driven and only contains what members have shared with each other since the January 2009 launch of the SIGs.
Not a SIGs member? Then you’re missing the opportunity to engage in e-mail discussions, share resources, network with your peers, take advantage of collaboration across the industry, and benefit from rapid response to professional challenges. To join a SIG, go to NAHQ PLUS on the Members-Only site. To subscribe to a SIG of your choice, select from the topic areas which will take you to the online subscription center. You may join as many SIGs as you like.

Members on the Move

Julia Rieve Receives URAC’s Health Care Stars! Award
Julia Rieve, RN BSHCM CCM CPHQ FNAHQ, a commissioner with the Commission for Case Manager Certification, recently received the URAC Health Care Stars! Award during URAC’s 10th Annual Quality Summit, held October 6–8 in Tucson, AZ.

Rieve, a worker’s compensation field case manager with Coventry Workers’ Comp Services, was honored for her passionate dedication to patient advocacy, confidentiality, and her commitment to giving patients a voice. “We oftentimes meet our patients entering the health system at their most vulnerable point,” said Rieve, who handles complex cases involving catastrophic injuries. “Patients need an advocate to help them navigate through the healthcare system, protect their confidentiality, improve the process of care, and obtain quality outcomes that better their lives.”

According to longtime colleague Barbara Fuchs, MS BSN RN CCMEP CPHQ FNAHQ, Rieve is that advocate. “I have always been proud of the difference Julia makes in the lives of the people she assists,” said Fuchs, who nominated Rieve for the honor. “I can’t think of finer recognition for her.”
URAC’s first-ever Health Care Stars! Award honors extraordinary healthcare professionals who directly impact the lives of consumers they serve. URAC defines stars as individuals who demonstrate fortitude and leadership, who constantly rise above daily duties to improve someone’s life, and who work to protect and empower healthcare consumers across the globe.