National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ)

Contents

Message from the Board

Quality Collaborative

NAHQ's New CPHQ Review Course Download

After many months of effort, NAHQ is proud to launch the new CPHQ Review Course Download product. Study for the CPHQ exam anytime, anywhere with this new downloadable file. When you purchase the CPHQ Review Course Download, you’ll save it to your computer and access it anytime you’re ready to study. Save money, focus your preparation efforts, and control your own study schedule with this convenient review option now available for purchase in the NAHQ Online Store.

2009 Conference Symposia Download Available

Download a free copy of the conference symposia presentation “Multidrug-Resistant Hospital-Acquired Infections: Reducing Risk Through Quality Improvement,” from the 2009 NAHQ Educational Conference. Earn 1 CE credit when you complete the short quiz after viewing the file.

Second Annual State Leaders Summit Announced

NAHQ will once again invite state leaders from NAHQ-affiliated states for 2 days of training and networking at the State Leaders Summit. Hosted April 30– May 1, in Rosemont, IL, the program aims to develop effective leadership skills and address challenges state associations face today. 2009 attendees addressed strategic planning, membership building, financial management, and more. State leaders are encouraged to attend. Watch for registration information and make plans to join us. Questions? Contact Lori Barker, NAHQ staff, at lbarker@nahq.org or 847/375-6305.

Hellos and Goodbyes for NAHQ Leadership

It’s the season of change for NAHQ as new leaders take their places in 2010. The NAHQ Board welcomes three newly elected board members this year. President-Elect Susan Goodwin, Member Services Director Jacqueline Cole, and new HQCB Chair Diana Martin attend their first NAHQ Board meeting last month in Chicago.


Goodwin		Cole		Martin

While welcoming new members, the board bid farewell to Immediate Past President Thom Smith, former Member Services Director Len Parisi, and past Healthcare Quality Certification Board (HQCB) Chair David Loose. Visit NAHQ on Facebook to see some fun memories and say thanks to these recent board members.
New leaders also took their places this month as teams transitioned their leadership. 2010 teams will be busy continuing the excellent work of the 2009 volunteers. Want to offer your skills to NAHQ as part of a team? Register to get involved on the Quality Volunteer Board at NAHQ Plus.

HQF: Apply Now for State Educational Grant

The Healthcare Quality Foundation (HQF) wants to remind NAHQ-affiliated associations to apply for the State Educational Grant, which offers a one-time stipend of $1,500. This grant was designed to assist state associations in offering high-caliber educational activities, such as annual conferences or CPHQ workshops. Funds can be used to mitigate expenses including speaker honorariums and travel expenses. The deadline is approaching fast, and applications must be received by January 31. Please visit www.nahq.org/hqf to download the application and guidelines. HQF would be honored to consider your state association for this grant. In these tough economic times, benefit from your affiliation with NAHQ and provide quality educational opportunities to members in your state!

Member-Recommended Activities

Be sure to read “Step-by-Step Medicine: Oft-debated consensus practice guidelines, essential to healthcare reform, gain traction” by Christopher Guadagnino, PhD. Click here to read this article from the January 2010 Hospitalist.
To spur improvements in safety, the National Quality Forum and TMIT are cohosting a free Webinar, "Optimizing a Workforce for Optimal Safe Care (Safe Practices 9–11)," on Thursday, January 21, 1–2:30 pm EST. Click here to register.
Nurses, learn and share ideas about educational strategies that promote quality and safety competency development by visiting the “Quality and Safety Education for Nurses” Web site at http://www.qsen.org/.
Can’t read enough on leadership? After reading “7 Ways to Foster Positive Change” (see the Leadership Skills section), turn to “Leading: What it Means to HIM,” which is featured in the January 10 Journal of AHIMA of the American Health Information Management Association.
A new survey by Gallup and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Nursing Leadership from Bedside to Boardroom: Opinion Leaders’ Perceptions, will be released at a January 20 news conference at the National Press Club, Washington, DC. The survey explores the influence that nurses have in reducing medical errors, increasing the quality of patient care, promoting wellness, improving efficiency, and reducing healthcare costs. For more information, contact Eric Nielsen at 202/715-3030 or eric_nielsen@gallup.com.
For information on the new survey, "Economic Downturn Is Impacting Medication Safety," by the Institute For Safe Medication Practices, visit www.ismp.org/pressroom/PR20100114.pdf.

Find Policies and Guideline at the NAHQ Resource Center

NAHQ's members-only Resource Center offers helpful documents, such as an Infection Control Risk Assessment, shared via the Special Interest Group (SIG) e-mail Listservs. Documents are divided among the six SIGs: Acute, Behavioral, Critical Access/Rural Healthcare, Home Healthcare, Long-Term Care, and Managed Care.
More than 20 new items were added this month, and the list can be searched by articles, forms, and policies. Here is a sample of recent postings:

NAHQ members, log in to NAHQ Plus to visit the Resource Center and view these and other documents today!