National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ)

21/07/2025

Quality isn't a department. It's an enterprise-wide business strategy. ​

Quality departments have evolved organically over the years without the benefit of a common industry standard for management systems or workforce competencies. This results in quality often being misunderstood, siloed and inconsistently executed.

That’s changing at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) - U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. By aligning around NAHQ’s Healthcare Quality Competency Framework and implementing Workforce Accelerator, VHA grew from 3 quality leaders participating to over 400 champions and launched monthly communities of practice — empowering everyone from frontline staff to physicians.

✅ The results: measurable gains across all 8 competency domains, higher engagement in analytics, Performance & Process Improvement, and rising CMS star
ratings that now outpace peers.​

When quality becomes a shared strategy — real change follows.​
https://hubs.la/Q03y77Sq0

17/07/2025

INFO SESSION, Wed. July 30, 12 PM: Don’t miss this informative inside look at what’s on the agenda for NAHQ next 2025. Find out how this annual must-attend event is even more relevant and more timely this year, with a new approach that will keep you up-to-the-minute and in-the-know about what’s next for healthcare… and your career. REMINDER: early registration for NAHQ next ends 7/31.

Register now at https://hubs.la/Q03xHmsP0

10/07/2025

At NAHQ, healthcare leaders are telling us they’re seeking more cohesive strategies, stronger alignment across quality initiatives, and clearer returns on their efforts.

That’s why this conversation between our CEO, Stephanie Mercado, and Becker’s Healthcare is so timely and impactful.

🎙️ On the latest Becker’s podcast with Lukas Voss, Stephanie shares insights from NAHQ’s groundbreaking ROI-Q Report, which demonstrates—concretely—that when healthcare organizations clearly define quality roles, build the right competencies, and align their workforce around shared goals, the impact is real and measurable:

✅ Better patient outcomes
✅ Safer care delivery
✅ Financial returns of up to 20x the investment

If you're a healthcare leader looking for scalable, proven solutions—not just another set of disconnected initiatives—we invite you to listen.
🔗https://hubs.la/Q03wwnm10

Learn more about the "Proving the ROI of Quality: Building a Stronger Healthcare Workforce" here.

09/07/2025

🎯 Assess. Upskill. Measure. Repeat.

Kaiser Permanente Northern California reclaimed siloed training budgets to fund team-wide professional development aligned to NAHQ’s Healthcare Quality Competency Framework — resulting in a 92% decrease in Hospital Acquired Conditions penalties.

Strategic workforce investment isn't a luxury. It's a necessity.

🔍 Learn how to build better teams → https://hubs.la/Q03wsfTJ0

07/07/2025

INFO SESSION, Wed. July 30, 12 PM: What makes this year’s NAHQ next THE can’t-miss Quality event for healthcare professionals? Join this complimentary webinar to find out how NAHQ’s virtual Quality event will uniquely prepare you to tackle the challenges and changes of these unprecedented times.

The 2 ½ day agenda is filled with innovative real-world solutions from top healthcare leaders and organizations plus sessions designed to give you the up-to-the-moment information you need to advance Quality, and your career.

Register now at https://hubs.la/Q03w3m4y0

03/07/2025

One in 31 patients in U.S. healthcare facilities contracts a healthcare-associated infection every day.

That’s not just a statistic—it’s a call to action.

At NAHQ, we believe that sustainable solutions to problems like infection prevention start with workforce development. That’s why we’re encouraged by the bold steps Mass General Brigham is taking to reimagine training through virtual reality (VR).

As our CEO, Stephanie Mercado, shared in this recent article in Modern Healthcare, “A huge opportunity to sustainably reduce infections is around workforce development, skilling and re-skilling.”

Healthcare’s increasing complexity demands continuous learning. Innovations like VR enhance that learning and show that when we invest in our people, we protect our patients.

https://hubs.la/Q03vN0q50

Mass General Brigham’s pilot program has received positive feedback at different health systems but there are still some hurdles to overcome.

01/07/2025

Join us at Unify 2025, the inaugural Joint Commission event convening to address the challenges the healthcare industry faces. NAHQ CEO Stephanie Mercado will be presenting a session discussing the groundbreaking findings from our new ROI-Q Report, demonstrating for the first time that investing in Quality delivers a measurable ROI. You will not want to miss it!

Register now: https://hubs.la/Q03vv-6h0

27/06/2025

Do you want to manage change, lead projects effectively, and foster a culture of continuous improvement? Introducing the new NAHQ Micro-Credential in Performance and Process Improvement (PPI).

Each NAHQ Micro-Credential builds proficiency in one domain of the NAHQ Healthcare Quality Competency Framework™. Complete this program in PPI successfully and receive 10 CPHQ/CNE CEs, a certificate of completion and digital badge.

Learn more at https://hubs.la/Q03tWYL40
-Credentials

26/06/2025

📈 Quality is not a cost center — it's a value driver.

CHRISTUS Health achieved $15–20M in annual pay-for-performance gains and a 50% reduction in serious safety event rates. How? They made quality a strategic priority — and communicated the ROI of quality and safety.

NAHQ’s new ROI-Q report shows how organizations can achieve financial AND clinical excellence through workforce development.

📥 https://hubs.la/Q03tCTS30

25/06/2025

Unify, brought to you by The Joint Commission, is coming up on Sept 16-17, 2025.
This two-day event will include high-profile keynotes, including a can't-miss presentation from NAHQ CEO Stephanie Mercado, along with dynamic plenary sessions and interactive breakouts focusing on the challenges faced in the ever-changing healthcare ecosystem.

Register now: https://hubs.la/Q03tqhLR0

20/06/2025

Congratulations to the 2025 winning teams associated with the UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence Awards. NAHQ is a proud supporter of this program and recognizes the difference these teams make as they collaborate and transform healthcare. This global, prestigious honor is awarded to healthcare teams who have achieved measurably better healthcare in clinical practice.

Learn more about the 2025 winners at https://hubs.la/Q03sT1GV0

19/06/2025

Looking to level up your team with team training for CPHQ certification & prep or competency development? NAHQ offers team training solutions for groups of 10+ to give everyone at your organization a common understanding and toolset for Quality & Safety, from the frontline to the Quality team to the C-suite.

Learn more at https://hubs.ly/Q03sqRWk0