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| Franciscan Chief Financial Officer Mike Fitzgerald accepts the award from Gov. Christine Gregoire. |
The Franciscan Health System, which is building St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor, has received the 2007 Washington State Quality Award for performance excellence, an achievement that recognizes it as a role model for other businesses seeking to elevate their quality and performance.
Gov. Christine Gregoire presented the quality award on May 9 during a special ceremony at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. Other recipients were the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Qualis Health of Seattle and the Richland School District.
“This award acknowledges the dedication and commitment to excellence that are shown every day by the nearly 6,000 employees at the Franciscan Health System,” said Franciscan Chief Financial Officer Mike Fitzgerald.
Using the rigorous criteria for performance excellence that is employed by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award program, the Washington State Quality Award (WSQA) program honors organizations with proven and sustainable accomplishments in business performance and overall excellence.
To be selected for the Washington State Quality Award, the Franciscan Health System underwent a thorough application process, in-depth site visits by examiners, and a comprehensive analysis of how the organization’s policies support its needs and align with its mission and strategic goals.
“The process has been a very interesting and rewarding experience for us, from completing our application to hosting site visits by the professional and inquisitive analysts,” said Laure Nichols, a Key Peninsula resident and the senior vice president for Strategic Planning and Business Development for Franciscan. “We discovered new ways to improve upon nearly every aspect of our healing work.”
Franciscan Health System as well as the University of Washington Medical Center were recognized at the Leadership Level for performance excellence.
WSQA is a nonprofit organization, authorized by the Washington State Legislature, to promote the success of Washington public and private sector organizations through the application of the Malcolm Baldrige Award Criteria for Performance Excellence. WSQA has been recognizing high performing organizations for 13 years. For more information, go online to www.wsqa.net.
The Franciscan organization is also ranked No. 8 on Verispan’s Top 100 list of the most efficient and best-performing health care networks in the United States. Verispan is an independent health care research and information company. In addition to the planned Gig Harbor hospital Franciscan operates a Prompt Care center in Gig Harbor as well as clinics in Gig Harbor and Port Orchard, in addition to a network of hospitals, clinics and physicians in Puget Sound. | 