National Association for Healthcare Quality Celebrates Growing Profession and Discipline with Special Events During Healthcare Quality Week Oct. 15-21

Quality is taking center stage and a growing number of people are contributing to this important work. In fact, those earning the Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) certification has grown by 35 percent and NAHQ membership has grown by more than 25 percent over the last five years. As one of the only events of its kind that spotlights the value these professionals bring to the industry, HQW will bring together some of the greatest minds in healthcare quality and safety as they share their success, collaborate on effective strategies, and gain valuable insights and knowledge to further propel their careers.

"Healthcare Quality Week is a dedicated time to celebrate the profession and discipline and raise awareness of the positive impact quality and safety healthcare professionals have in their organizations and communities," said Stephanie Mercado, CAE, CPHQ, chief executive officer and executive director of NAHQ. "People working in healthcare quality and safety are no longer the best kept secret in healthcare. They are the people that are driving change that will result in lower-cost, high-quality and safer healthcare." 

An exclusive screening of the award-winning HBO documentary, BLEED OUT will be offered to registrants. This important and thought-provoking documentary chronicles one son's decade-long experience with the American healthcare system and its impact on his family. The film is a must-watch for all who care about healthcare quality and safety.

According to an Office of Inspector General (OIG) Report, 1 in 4 Medicare patients have experienced patient harm during their hospital stays. Patient harm includes adverse events and temporary harm events.¹

"Patient advocacy is not only a right, it's a responsibility. This was my key message in the film," said Steve Burrows, writer, director and producer of BLEED OUT. "My mother's story taught me the immense value of dedicated professionals in the quality and safety discipline, and I am honored to share it again during NAHQ's Healthcare Quality Week." 

NAHQ will be offering the following complimentary webinars, open to all, during HQW. People working in healthcare quality and safety of all levels are encouraged to invite their colleagues and teammates to attend these webinars, highlighting the issues critical to healthcare quality and safety:

Rebranding Quality
Monday, Oct. 16 at 12 – 12:30pm CST
Join NAHQ's CEO, Stephanie Mercado, in exploring a future focused on transformational leadership and shifting from compliance to excellence in healthcare quality, aiming to inspire the workforce to deliver their best rather than just fulfilling checkboxes. Don't miss this opportunity to reset the definition of healthcare quality and align teams towards achieving excellence in healthcare.
Access Session

BLEED OUT Documentary
Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 12 – 1:30 pm CST
Join us for an eye-opening journey into the heart of America's healthcare system in the award-winning documentary BLEED OUT. Follow a son's decade-long investigation, using archival footage and expert interviews, as he uncovers the shocking truth about medical errors, revealing them as the third-leading cause of death in the United States.
Access Session

BLEED OUT Documentary Discussion
Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 12 – 1:15pm CST
Join us for a thought-provoking discussion with a panel of experts about the BLEED OUT documentary. Explore key themes like telehealth, data ethics, workforce competence, and accountability, and gain insights to drive change in your organization, all while engaging in a meaningful conversation about medical errors.
Access Session

Chief Quality Officers: Preparing the Healthcare Workforce to Lead
Thursday, Oct. 19 at 12 – 12:45 PM CST
Learn from a panel of Chief Quality Officers (CQOs) about strategies and steps they employ to advance quality and safety in their organizations, emphasizing the importance of their specialized knowledge and skills in reducing costs and improving patient care.
Access Session

NAHQ Update
Thursday, Oct. 19 at 3 – 3:20 PM CST
NAHQ is moving the needle on healthcare. Hear from NAHQ leadership about NAHQ's success this past year, where we are headed as an organization and profession and how together we will make an even bigger impact.
Access Session

Ethical Leadership: Creating Psychological Safety at all Levels of the Organization
Friday, Oct. 20 at 12 – 12:30 PM CST
Join us for a transformative session addressing the surprising finding that 41 percent of healthcare quality professionals do not see themselves as responsible for integrating ethical standards into their practice. Discover actionable strategies to foster a psychologically safe healthcare environment and promote ethical practices for delivering top-quality care.
Access Session

Each session is free and available to all. Interested participants can register for any of the sessions at hqw.nahq.org/schedule-of-events/. All webinars, with the exception of the BLEED OUT documentary, will also be available for access after Healthcare Quality Week. Register now. #HQW2023 #NAHQ

About NAHQ 
The National Association for Healthcare Quality^® (NAHQ) is the only organization dedicated to healthcare quality professionals, defining the standard of excellence for the profession, and equipping professionals and organizations across the continuum of healthcare to meet these standards. NAHQ believes that to reduce variability in healthcare delivery, we must first reduce variability in healthcare quality competencies, so we focus our efforts on healthcare quality competencies and workforce development. NAHQ published the first and only Healthcare Quality Competency Framework and validated it twice in the market. We offer the only accredited certification in healthcare quality, the Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality^® (CPHQ), extensive educational programming, networking opportunities and career resources to help healthcare quality professionals enhance their competencies and their value. Learn more at NAHQ.org.

¹US Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General (OIG) Report (Adverse Events in Hospitals: A Quarter of Medicare Patients Experienced Harm in October 2018.pdf, p. 2)

Media Contacts:
Mary Pettersen
PR and Communications Director
National Association for Healthcare Quality
[email protected]

SOURCE National Association For Healthcare Quality