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				 SETMA and the NQF National Healthcare Quality  Improvement Award 2012 
Later  today, December 8, 2011, SETMA will formally submit an application for the National Quality Forum’s National  Healthcare Quality Improvement Award 2012.    The award was established in 1993.   There have been eighteen past recipients of the award.  The application for the 2012 award covers six  areas 
  - Effective  prioritization of performance improvement goals
 
  - Well-designed  and deployed “dashboard” to measure and manage whole-system performance 
 
  - Commitment  to transparency
 
  - Date-driven  improvement of NQS priorities, with an emphasis on patient-centered care,  patient outcomes, reduced cost of care, and elimination of disparities
 
  - Demonstration  of readiness to assume responsibilities of an accountable care organization,  guided by the organization’s strategic goals and focusing on collaboration  alignment
 
  - Demonstrated  results on publicly reported performance measures
 
 
An  applicant organization is allowed six pages for each section except the last which  allows twelve pages making the total application 42 pages.  SETMA’s application covers 34 pages of  narrative and eight pages of spread sheet description of the quality metrics  which we track, audit, analyze and publicly report.   
Created  in 1993, the award is the first of its kind to recognize outstanding  quality-driven healthcare organizations. For 18 years, first through the  National Committee for Quality Health Care and now through NQF, the award has  provided encouragement for improvements in quality through public recognition  of organizations' accomplishments. The past recipients have been: 
  - 2011 Norton Healthcare 
 
  - 2010 North Shore-LIJ Health  System 
 
  - 2008 Baylor Healthcare System,  Dallas, Texas 
 
  - 2007 HealthPartners,  Bloomington, MN  
 
  - 2006 Bringham and Women's  Hospital, Boston, MA   
 
  - 2005 Northwestern Memorial  Hospital, Chicago, IL 
 
  - 2004 Trinity Health, Novi, MI 
 
  - 2003 Leigh Valley Hospital and  Health Network, Allentown, PA 
 
  - 2002 Carilion Health System,  Roanoke, VA 
 
  - 2001 Catholic Health  Initiatives, Denver, CO 
 
  - 2000 Munson Medical Center,  Traverse City, MI 
 
  - 1999 BJC Health System, St.  Louis, MO 
 
  - 1998 University of  Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA 
 
  - 1997 St. Luke's Hospital,  Kansas City, MO 
 
  - 1996 Intermountain Healthcare,  Salt Lake City, UT 
 
  - 1995 Evanston Hospital  Corporation, Evanston, IL 
 
  - 1994 Henry Ford Health System,  Detroit, MI 
 
 
There  is no way to estimate the probability of SETMA receiving this award.  Certainly no practice like SETMA ever  has.  Whether we succeed or not, the  exercise has been very good.  We have learned  things about ourselves and we are better prepared to advance the quality of  healthcare in the future because of having prepared the application. 
The  following is NQF’s description of the 2012 Award application process. 
National  Quality Forum’s National Quality Healthcare Award - 2012 
2012 National  Quality Health Award 
The  NQF National Quality Healthcare Award recognizes exceptional leadership and  innovation to achieve national goals for quality improvement. This award  recognizes a healthcare organization or practice for its proactive and  exemplary response to the national call for quality improvement and  accountability by: 
  - successfully  using performance measurements to drive quality improvement and manage care for  patients across settings and overtime,
 
  - fostering  a culture of transparency and accountability for patients and the local  community; and,
 
  - raising  the bar on performance to achieve safe, effective, patient-centered, timely,  efficient and equitable care for individual patients and populations. 
 
 
Background 
The  award focuses on demonstrated performance on publicly quality measures and  exemplary use of performance measurement to promote rapid-cycle improvements in  patient care and whole-system performance. The award also focuses on  organizational success in addressing the National Quality Strategy (NQS0 aims: 
  - better  care - making care more patient centered, safe, effective, and accessible;
 
  - healthier  people and communities - supporting proven interventions to address behavioral,  social, and environmental determinants of health and providing care that  contributes to the highest level of health functioning, and
 
  - affordable  care - working to reduce the cost of care for individuals, families, employers  and government.
 
 
The special  focus in 2012 will be the extent to which an organization is providing  patient-centered care and achieving better health outcomes at lower per capita  costs. 
The  2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provides for the establishment  of accountable care organizations (ACOs).   Over time, ACOs are expect to assume greater and greater responsibility  for providing patient-centered, care that improves health outcomes and lowers  the per capita cost of care for the populations they serve.  In 2011 award applicants will be asked to  demonstrate how they have addressed the issues of clinical integration and care  coordination, health outcomes, including health risk behaviors and health  functioning; and removing waste form the healthcare systems. 
2012 Award  Criteria 
  - Effective  prioritization of performance improvement goals
 
  - Well-designed  and deployed “dashboard” to measure and manage whole-system performance 
 
  - Commitment  to transparency
 
  - Date-driven  improvement of NQS priorities, with an emphasis on patient-centered care,  patient outcomes, reduced cost of care, and elimination of disparities
 
  - Demonstration  of readiness to assume responsibilities of an accountable care organization,  guided by the organization’s strategic goals and focusing on collaboration  alignment
 
  - Demonstrated  results on publicly reported performance measures
 
 
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