Consulate Health Care of Port Charlotte, in Port Charlotte, Florida was awarded the 2020 AHCA/NCAL Silver National Quality Award. Only 13 Florida care centers earned this distinction in 2020, so it is quite an achievement.
As described on the AHCA/NCAL website, the National Quality Award Program provides a pathway for providers of long term and post-acute care services to journey towards performance excellence. The program is based on the core values and criteria of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program.
Care centers may apply for three progressive levels of awards: Bronze—Commitment to Quality, Silver—Achievement in Quality, or Gold—Excellence in Quality. Each level has its own distinct rigors and requirements for quality and performance excellence. Care centers must earn Bronze before applying for Silver, and earn Silver before applying for Gold.
Consulate Health Care of Port Charlotte earned Bronze status in 2017, and shortly afterwards started working toward earning the Silver award. The application for the Silver award was made before Jennifer Herrold, the current executive director of Port Charlotte, joined the team. However, Herrold is very familiar with the process having applied for the Bronze award in a prior job. Before attempting application for any level of the Quality Awards, applicants must participate in a workshop to fully understand the process. The application itself requires months of preparation.
For the Silver level, members develop and demonstrate effective approaches that help improve performance and health care outcomes. The process requires gathering statistics and understanding the demographics of the community. Even more challenging, according to Herrold, “it requires a culture change for the care center, to get to a higher standard of care.”
The positive effects of the award have been felt by staff, residents, and the community. The staff at Port Charlotte continue to be proud of where they work and appreciate being recognized for going above and beyond the standard of care. That pride extends to the patients, who are further assured that they are enjoying life in a high quality environment. The award demonstrates to the community that the care center is focused on person-centered care, not diagnosis-centered care.
The next step in the process is for Port Charlotte to apply for the Gold – Achievement in Quality Award. The process begins with a Gold readiness self-assessment tool and participation in a workshop for the Gold Award. While the going for the Gold Award will take a huge commitment from the staff at the care center, Herrold and the rest of the staff look forward to the journey.
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