2012 Accreditation Professional of the Year Awards Nomination Form

Do you have a colleague who helped launch a successful accreditation program in your hospital? Or who made significant contributions to improve survey-readiness in the field in general? Do you know a dedicated accreditation professional who makes a difference in the profession? Or an accreditation professional who is new to the role and has already demonstrated effective survey readiness?

The Association for Healthcare Accreditation Professionals (AHAP) is pleased to accept your nominations for the Accreditation Professional of the Year awards in two categories: Accreditation Professional of the Yearand Best New Accreditation Professional. To nominate a colleague or peer, please complete the form below and submit it to AHAP Associate Director Jaclyn Beck ().

Purpose of Awards

The 2012 Accreditation Professional of the Year Awards honor accreditation professionals and survey coordinators whose leadership, teamwork, and regulatory expertise embody an image of excellence and who make a difference in improving patient care and regulatory compliance, quality outcomes, and the healthcare environment.

The purpose of the awards is to recognize and celebrate accreditation professionals who have made tangible improvements in their facilities, created and launched initiatives that have had a positive impact on the accreditation preparation process, and made significant educational improvements to increase accountability and awareness, and get everyone at their organizations involved in the survey prep process.

Categories and Eligibility

Entries must be based on individual effort, teamwork, or leadership exhibited in the healthcare organization. To be eligible, entries must adhere to the following criteria.

Note:Please be as detailed and informative as possible in your answers. Incorrect information may lead to disqualification. No additional material or forms of multimedia may be submitted, including Web site links, audio files, pictures, or video. Vendors and business services are not eligible for the program.

Award 1: Accreditation Professional of the Year

Similar to a Lifetime Achievement Award, this honor identifies an accreditation professional who has increased his or her scope of responsibilities beyond The Joint Commission accreditation and is responsible for the broad spectrum of maintaining survey readiness for any regulatory bodies that may arrive at his or her healthcare organization.

Consider addressing some of the following qualities demonstrated by your nominee:

  • Serves as an inspiring leader, mentor, and role model
  • Has led his or her organization through a successful turnaround survey resultingin tangible improvements in the organization, such as noticeable reductions of RFIs between surveys, improvements that bring about financial savings, saved hours for staff, and increase improvement
  • Takes the lead on or participates in initiatives that have a positive impact on the accreditation prep process
  • Improves staff accountability or awareness by getting everyone at the organization involved in the survey prep process through education
  • Actively pursues and participates in other accreditation opportunities, such as regulatory committees, state committees focused at state laws, licensing, speaking engagements, or contributing to publications
  • Directly brings about positive outcomes as a result of his or her contribution to improve regulatory compliance and patient outcomes, practice changes, research or undertake evidence-based practice projects, interdisciplinary collaboration, or organizational goals
  • Has overcome challenges or contributed to organizational success

Award 2: Best New Accreditation Professional

This award is for the accreditation professional who has been appointed to the position within the past two years, and has successfully launched continuous survey readiness programs, processes, and teams.

Consider addressing the following in your entry form:

  • The accreditation professional’s role within the organization
  • Any positive results that have been achieved as a result of his or herhiring
  • Examples of contributions that have been made to improve survey readiness and regulatory education, and inspire communication between staff

Selection

Winners will be judged and selected by the AHAP Advisory Board and the director and associate director of AHAP. The decision of the judges will be final.

We will select one Accreditation Professional of the Year winner and one Best New Accreditation Professional winner and present the awards at the 2012 AHAP Annual Conference, to be held May 10-11 at Hilton at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista (Orlando), FL. Both awards will receive free admission to the conference, and the 2012 Accreditation Professional of the Year will be invited to speak at the following year’s AHAP conference.

Deadline for submitting a nomination is Friday, April 6, 2012.

Nominee’s Information

Name:

Job title/credentials:

Name and location (city/state) of organization:

E-mail address:

Phone number:

Select the award for which this nominee applies:

  • Accreditation Professional of the Year
  • Best New Accreditation Professional

Using the above criteria, please explain why this person should be considered for this award:

Please describe at least three of the nominee’s accomplishments:

1.

2.

3.

Please include any testimonials or additional information about your nominee:

Nominator’s Information

Name:

Job title/credentials:

Name and location (city/state) of organization:

Email address:

Phone number:

How do you know the person you are nominating (coworker, supervisor, staff member, etc.)?