The AHCA/NCAL Quality Awards criteria have their grounding in the Baldrige Excellence Framework, which assesses seven categories of performance: leadership, strategy, customers, measurement/analysis/knowledge management, workforce, operations, and results. This is a perfect match, as both the awards and the Baldrige criteria are designed to promote quality improvement, excellence, and high standards. When organizations use the Baldrige criteria in pursuit of the Quality Awards, the result is better relationships with employees and other stakeholders, higher productivity, improved resident satisfaction and outcomes, and elevated stature and reputation. 

Christopher Laxton, CAE, executive director of AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine and Baldrige alumnus examiner, explained, “Starting from the highest level, the Baldrige framework’s intent is to make organizations more sustainable, as well as competitive.” 

Looking at the seven cri...