| Implementing Quality First Successfully
|
Quality First Helps Montana CCRC Identify New Opportunities
| Your name: | | Mike Follett |
| Your title: | | Administrator |
| Organization: | | St. John's Lutheran Ministries |
| Location: | | Billings, Montana |
| Phone: | | 406-655-5600 |
| E-mail: | | mikef@sjlm.org |
What was the "spark" that got your organization involved in QF?
On a visit to Montana, Larry Minnix "twisted our arm" to sign the Covenant and start the Quality First journey.
Where/how did you learn about QF?
We learned about it through AAHSA publications and member e-mails.
Describe the process of getting your Board's support for QF.
We included them in the process of evaluating each area of quality. More importantly, we reported back to the Board with the results from our staff and action plans on weak areas identified in the QF process.
Have you reviewed the information on the QF Web site? What was helpful?
It provided some background information about the program to our facility's trustees and staff members.
If your organization completed the QF Self-Study, was it helpful?
It helped us identify and focus us on some weak areas that were not on our radar screen prior to implementing Quality First.
Has your organization developed an action plan to focus on improvements in one or more of the Quality First Elements of Quality?
Implementing Quality First helped us focus on the Leading- Edge Care and Services, Continuous Quality Improvement and Community Involvement elements.
Has QF been beneficial to your organization in earning public trust?
Yes. Conducting a resident/family satisfaction survey gave us opportunities to follow-up on areas of concern among our families and residents.
What has been the most beneficial aspect of QF for your organization?
It helped us identify some blind spots that we were not fully aware of in our organization.
What has been the most challenging aspect of QF for your organization?
Initiating the process. Until we identified someone in our organization to be accountable to the process, we were stuck in the same place.
Would you say that you have been able to integrate QF into your ongoing operations, or is it viewed as "something else to do"? How have you integrated QF in your organization?
We identified three areas as being "weak" and through focus group research, made a concerted effort to address and improve these issues in our organization.
Members have voiced several reasons for not signing the QF Covenant, including: We already run a quality organization; we don't want to expose ourselves to greater liability; we can't afford it; we're too busy. What would you say to encourage these members to sign the QF Covenant?
We thought so too, but if you take each question and use it critically evaluate your organization, you will find ways that QF can help your organization improve.
Is your organization implementing any Quality First programs? Which programs are you particularly proud of?
Not specifically. We did follow-though on our blind spots identified in the QF process - with our follow-though on the family/resident satisfaction surveys being the area we are most proud of.
Last Updated : 3/13/2008 5:33:53 PM
