AAHSA Quality First is the way in which AAHSA and its members accept responsibility for assuring that the people they serve receive quality care and services. Quality First makes providers directly accountable for excellence and distinguishes AAHSA members as not-for-profit aging-services providers.
AAHSA Quality First provides all AAHSA members with opportunities to:
* Reaffirm their public commitment to quality.
* Assess their strengths and opportunities for improvement.
* Pursue continuous quality improvement based on the belief that improvement is always possible.
* Earn the public's trust and the confidence of consumers.
Through Quality First, AAHSA works in partnership with all stakeholders — aging-services providers and their employees and board members, government policymakers, and consumers and their families — to create quality of care and quality of life for older adults.
Quality First applies to all of AAHSA's provider members: adult day services, home health, community services, senior housing, assisted living residences, continuing care retirement communities (CCRC) and nursing homes.
AAHSA, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care launched Quality First in July 2002 to demonstrate the aging-services field's commitment to quality and quality improvement.
The AAHSA Quality First Elements of Quality
Based on the fundamental values of quality in aging services, the AAHSA Quality First 10 Elements of Quality provide a framework that covers a broad range of provider operations:
1. Commitment
2. Governance and Accountability
3. Leading-Edge Care and Services
4. Community Involvement
5. Continuous Quality Improvement
6. Human Resources Development
7. Consumer-Friendly Information
8. Consumer Participation
9. Research Findings and Education
10. Public Trust and Consumer Confidence
