Honoring excellence

in patient safety,

quality and experience

ANGUARDAWARDV

H O S P I TA L Q U A L I T Y I N S T I T U T E

VVV

ABOUTThe vision of Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) is that California hospitals will lead the nation in

patient safety and quality performance with high reliability and zero defect in care on behalf of

the people and communities they serve. They will lead through respect for people and a culture of

habitual excellence.

HQI invites California hospitals and health systems to submit applications for the HQI Vanguard Award for outstanding achievement in the area of patient safety, quality improvement, and

experience. Qualifi ed submissions will demonstrate successful implementation of strategies that

have produced performance improvement in one or more of these three topical areas, while also

addressing sustainability and scaling of the work. The strategies used could include, but are not

limited to, the following building blocks of organizational change:

Cultivating commitment through shared leadership and accountability for safety, quality, and

patient-and-family-centeredness. This may include among other strategies, engaging physicians as

leaders, and patients and families as active partners in safety and quality improvement.

Enhancing strategic planning processes to fully integrate (patient and workforce) safety, quality

improvement and patient experience within the organization’s strategic plan.

Enhancing the capacity to gather, refi ne and disseminate customer knowledge and performance

data as the basis for decision-making and action. This includes but is not limited to, patient and

family satisfaction and complaint data, payer requirements, employee and physician satisfaction

data, as well as measured performance on quality indicators and aggregated event reporting.

Advancing the systemic and rigorous measurement of strategies and priorities to achieve

clinical effectiveness, person-centeredness and reliability.

Advancing evidence-based medicine, evidence-based practice and clinical decision support, as

well as building implementation evidence across the full continuum of care.

Enhancing and protecting a culture of professionalism and teamwork that fosters respect,

learning, joy and meaning in work.

System engineering and design in patient safety, affecting both the clinical processes and

systems of care.

Implementing a culture of safety built on systems thinking, respect, accountability and

resilience.

Establishing infrastructure including technical and facilitative resources, educational vehicles,

and communication channels to support aims and strategies, and to reduce cost and unnecessary

complexity.

ANGUARDAWARDV

H O S P I TA L Q U A L I T Y I N S T I T U T E

VVVHonoring

excellence in

patient safety,

quality and

experience

ELIGIBILITY• All member hospitals and health systems are invited to participate.

• Multiple applications from the same organization are accepted.

HOW TO APPLYApplications are submitted electronically on the HQI web site by uploading a document

containing all the required sections. Ensure all sections specifi ed below have been included in

your application before uploading. Only complete applications will be considered for award.

Application sections are as follows:

1. Cover Page containing the following information:

• Hospital or Healthcare System name and address, city, state, URL.

• Name, title, e-mail address and phone number for a contact person.

• Name, e-mail address and phone number of the contact person’s assistant,

if applicable.

• Title of application.

• Identify topical area(s) of focus in this application:

- patient safety

- quality improvement

- patient experience

• Brief statement by an executive leader in support of the application.

2. Executive Summary (limit 200 words).

3. Background and relevance of the problem being addressed and effort undertaken.

4. Describe the effort, including the scope, process, strategies and tactics utilized,

challenges encountered and how they were addressed.

5. Describe the results of the effort.

6. Discuss the signifi cance of the results. How do the results demonstrate outstanding

achievement?

7. Describe sustainability and scaling of the achievements.

8. Describe key lessons learned and any advice to colleagues who might try to undertake a

similar effort.

Please limit the sections 3-8 to a total of 2,400 words.

Applicants are welcome to upload any supplementary material in support of their application,

such as graphics, data displays, photographs.

KEY DATESTo be considered for an award,

application submissions must

be complete and received

at HQI by end of day

August 12, 2016.

The selection and notifi cation

of awardee will be completed

by September 30, 2016.

Public recognition of

awardee will be unveiled

at HQI’s Annual Conference

on November 3, 2016 in

San Diego.

KEY

DA

TES

SCORING CRITERIAAn expert panel will evaluate the merits of each submission using the following criteria:

• Signifi cance: how signifi cant is the problem being addressed?

• Innovation: how original/innovative was the intervention/design?

• Integration: to what extent did the work integrate more than one area of focus (safety,

quality and patient experience) as well as integrate into daily operations?

• Results: what was achieved and how was the achievement measured/evaluated?

• Sustainability: how likely is it that the achievement will be sustained?

• Scalability: value to others and likelihood of wider adoption and spread.

AWARD NOTIFICATION• Award winner and two fi nalists will be selected and notifi ed in advance of a public

announcement.

• All awarded submissions will be published on the HQI web site.

• Selected winner will receive a Hospital Quality Institute Vanguard Award and special

recognition at the HQI Annual Conference.

CONTACTFor questions regarding the Vanguard Award program, please contact info@hqinstitute.org

or at (916) 552-7600.

Hospital Quality Institute1215 K StreetSuite 930Sacramento, CA 95814916.552.7600916.554.2277

www.hqinstitute.org