Linda Manor Earns Prestigious National Quality Award

LEEDS — Of the approximately 16,000 skilled nursing centers in the U.S., fewer than 1{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} have been awarded the Gold National Quality Award, based on criteria outlined by the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program.

One of those rare award winners for 2013 is Linda Manor, which was recognized as a 2013 recipient of the Gold – Excellence in Quality Award for superior performance in the long-term and post-acute care profession. The award is the highest of three honors possible through the National Quality Award program, presented by the American Health Care Assoc. and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL).

Of the five centers nationwide to receive the prestigious Gold – Excellence in Quality award this year, two were Berkshire Healthcare communities: Linda Manor and Kimball Farms Nursing Care Center in Lenox. Since the program’s beginnings in 1996, the AHCA/NCAL has presented only 18 organizations with awards at the Gold level, the final and most rigorous level of the National Quality Award program.

“The centers that have earned this award are a testament to what can be done when our focus remains on providing high quality, person-centered care,” said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “The staff, leadership, and community at Linda Manor have improved the lives of their residents, and their commitment to quality deserves to be recognized.”

The National Quality Award Program assists providers of long-term and post-acute care services in achieving their performance-excellence goals.

Implemented by AHCA/NCAL in 1996, the National Quality Award Program is centered on the criteria of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. The program has three levels: bronze, silver, and gold. Facilities begin the quality improvement process at the bronze level and must receive an award at each level before proceeding to the next.

“Berkshire Health Systems could not be more pleased and honored with the recognition bestowed upon the staff and leadership of Linda Manor by the American Health Care Assoc.,” said David Phelps, president and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems. “This outstanding achievement is a testament to the award-winning care they provide each day.”

This honor is the most recent in a series of accomplishments by Linda Manor that includes a perfect survey from the state Department of Public Health, the distinguished American Healthcare Assoc. National Silver Quality Award, customer-satisfaction results in the top 1{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} in the nation, and staff-satisfaction results in the top 4{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} in the nation as measured by My InnerView and the National Research Corp.

“Earning the AHCA Gold Award is an inspiring testament to the level of devotion and engagement the staff at Linda Manor have for our residents and, indeed, for each other,” said Linda Manor Administrator Mark Ailinger.

“Other awards we’ve earned, including a perfect state survey, capture a specific moment in time and highlight a specific, albeit momentous, event,” he continued. “The AHCA Gold Award, however, was years in the making. It’s the culmination of our relentless pursuit of healthcare excellence. It demonstrates the team’s continuous, exceptional improvement in resident care, clinical outcomes, survey results, guest satisfaction, and staff commitment over the span of five years. This only happens when a team’s focus and hard work is exceeded by their love and devotion for their residents.”

The award was presented to Linda Manor during AHCA/NCAL’s 64th Annual Convention and Exposition last month in Phoenix.