Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence (RMPEx) notified Great Plains Health this week of their recent Peak Performance Award. Peak is the highest level of achievement possible by RMPEx which has only recognized 13 entities with as Peak recipients since 2003. In Nebraska, there are only two organizations that have received Peak status, both are hospitals.

The program is optional and quite rigorous. Businesses that choose to apply to RMPEx are organizations that are aware of the importance of performance excellence and those that are striving for top quality. Applicants for the Peak Award must submit a more than 50-page application that explains their organization perspectives on seven criteria, which are: leadership; strategy; customers; measurement; analysis and knowledge management; workforce; operations and results. These criteria are identical to those used for the national-level award, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Examiners made their way to Great Plains Health in late October after spending 40 plus hours scrutinizing the application. RMPEx examiners spent several days onsite interviewing key groups and individuals. In addition, they conducted multiple walk-around interviews with staff from a broad range of areas within the hospital.

"Our employees are our most valuable contributor to our performance excellence,” said Mel McNea Great Plains Health chief executive officer. “Receiving this award is validation of their commitment to continuously improve patient outcomes and patient experiences. By following the Baldrige performance review processes, we have learned so much about our organization and have improved in all categories,” said McNea, “We know we still have work to do, but the value is already visible in all of the process improvements that have led to safer and top quality patient care.”

“We have so many measures of quality that we constantly work on to ensure that we are providing the safest care to our patients,” said Barb Petersen, Great Plains Health chief quality officer. The unique aspect about the Baldrige framework is that it looks at the organization as a whole, not just the clinical elements,” said Petersen. “It looks at areas such as our customers, our vendors, our patients, our entire workforce, our communications processes, our leadership processes – it is a very thorough analysis.”

In order to apply for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, an organization must achieve the highest award at a regional level. With achieving Peak status, Great Plains Health will now move forward with an application to the national award.