Testimonials from Health Care
Don't just take it from us. Here's what health care leaders say:
“The Baldrige Award has stimulated continuous improvement and breakthrough performance in many organizations. The Award Criteria provide a well-tested approach to help achieve higher levels of excellence. Health care organizations could benefit from applying its rigorous Criteria in their efforts to improve quality, lower costs, and better serve patients.”
—Robert R. Waller, former president and CEO, Mayo Foundation
“The Baldrige process is a wonderful process because . . . it makes you take every aspect of a business . . . and integrate every piece. The human resources piece is integrated with the service piece.”
—G. Richard Hastings, CEO, Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City, 2003 Award recipient
“One of the biggest advantages to using the Baldrige Criteria is it serves as a platform, as a responsible way to lead your organization.”
—John Heer, president, Baptist Hospital, Inc., 2003 Award recipient
“In 2001, the Institute of Medicine made an urgent call for fundamental change to close the quality gap in the American health care system. We believe that the Baldrige Program helps provide answers to this challenge. . . . I am delighted by the growing interest of the American Hospital Association, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and hospitals and health systems throughout the country that are embracing the Baldrige Criteria as a framework to bring excellence to our industry. It makes good business sense, and more important, it’s the right thing to do for our patients. . . . “
—Frank J. Sardone, president/CEO, Bronson Methodist Hospital, 2005 Award recipient
“Baldrige . . . has offered us a way to systematically evaluate our entire organization and understand the link between the hundreds of processes that make up the health care experience. . . . We've spent considerable time making improvements based on our Baldrige feedback. We've figured out how to deploy a consistent message throughout our organization. Our HR goals are now part of our strategic plan. . . . We have developed a complaint management process that is used systemwide. And we now benchmark against the highest-performing companies, whether or not they're in health care. Best of all, we've figured out how to translate our mission imperative—that is, ‘exceptional health care services’—into specific and measurable goals.”
—Sister Mary Jean Ryan, FSM, president/CEO, SSM Health Care, 2002 Award recipient
“Today 1,700 not-for-profit hospitals—and the patients they serve—are the beneficiaries of [a vision born from the Baldrige Criteria]. . . . Together we have achieved billions of dollars in savings—savings that strengthen the ability of hospitals to provide quality care. Together we have identified best practices that reduce birth-related injuries for mothers and newborn babies. Together we have led an initiative that has been a model for ethical business practices and transparency within the health care industry. And together we have partnered with Medicare to test a new health care payment model that rewards high-quality care. . . ."
—Richard A. Norling, President/CEO, Premier Inc., 2006 Award recipient
