Catholic Health East: Latest News

Diane S. Denny Appointed Examiner for 2008 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

July 08, 2008

Diane S. Denny

NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA – Diane S. Denny, Vice President of Quality & Patient Safety for Catholic Health East, Newtown Square, PA, has been appointed by Dr. James M. Turner, Acting Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to the 2008 Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The Award, created by public law in 1987, is the highest level of national recognition for performance excellence that a U.S. organization can receive.

This is the third consecutive year in which Denny has served as an Examiner. In this role, she is responsible for reviewing and evaluating applications submitted for the Award. The board is composed of approximately 500 leading experts selected from industry, professional and trade organizations, education and health care organizations and government.

“It is a great honor to have Diane selected as an Examiner for the Malcolm Balridge National Quality Award,” said Bob Stanek, CHE’s president and CEO. “ For many years, Diane has been an outstanding advocate for improving, and enhancing quality through our health system. Her appointment as an Examiner is a well-deserved recognition of her experience and expertise in the field.”

Denny, who has been with CHE since its inception in 1998, is responsible for the System’s comparative clinical indicator measurement and error reduction activities, patient satisfaction/service excellence, JCAHO and regulatory readiness, and clinical care collaboratives, and Values in Practice initiative, a common framework for creating and sustaining a values-based culture committed to caring and excellence.

Those selected to the Board of Examiners meet the highest standards of qualification and peer recognition. All members of the board must take part in a preparation course based on the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and the scoring and evaluation processes for the Baldrige Award.

Seventy-four organizations have received this reward to date; awards may be given annually in each of six categories: Manufacturing, Service, Small Business, Education, Health Care, and Non-profit. The Award Program is managed by NIST, a program of the Commerce Department's Technology Administration, in close cooperation with the private sector. The American Society for Quality (ASQ) in Milwaukee, WI, administers the program. More information on the Baldrige National Quality Program can be found on the program’s website at http://www.baldrige.nist.gov.

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