Skies Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center receives 2015 Gold – Excellence in Quality National Quality Award

Genesis HealthCare, one of the nation's largest providers of post-acute care, today announced that Skies Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, a Genesis HealthCare skilled nursing center located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is one of only four long term and post-acute care centers in the nation to have earned a 2015 Gold – Excellence in Quality National Quality Award. The award is the final of three distinct awards possible through the National Quality Award Program presented by AHCA/NCAL. The award program recognizes organizations that meet rigorous standards and serve as models of excellence in providing high-quality long term care.

"These providers are among the best in the nation," said AHCA/NCAL President and CEO Mark Parkinson. "The staff and leadership at these centers have shown outstanding commitment and dedication to the pursuit of quality care. They are leaders in their communities and in our profession, and I congratulate them on achieving this award."

The Gold – Excellence in Quality Award is the most prestigious of the program. It requires skilled nursing care centers and assisted living communities to achieve both the Bronze – Commitment to Quality and Silver – Achievement in Quality prior to moving to the Gold level. Applicants adhere to the rigorous criteria outlined in the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, a strategic approach which is also the foundation of the AHCA/NCAL Quality Initiative. The Gold Award is designed to elicit best practices from recipients in the areas of leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, process management and results. Since the inception of the National Quality Award Program in 1996, only 28 care centers and communities have achieved this level of quality recognition.

"We are incredibly proud of the achievements of each and every staff member at Skies Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center," states George V. Hager, Jr., Genesis HealthCare's Chief Executive Officer. "They are a shining example of how to improve the lives of the patients and residents we care for every day."

Skies Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center joins three other Genesis HealthCare centers to have earned this outstanding distinction - Glen Hill Center in Danbury, Connecticut, Grand Islander in Middletown, Rhode Island, and Heritage Hall East in Agawam, Massachusetts.

"At this level, providers are better equipped to embrace the challenges and opportunities that happen in a day-to-day operation," said AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Board of Overseers Chair Christine Boldt. "The time spent getting to this point, lays a strong foundation for continuing the quality journey. I applaud this year's recipients for their hard work and commitment."

AHCA/NCAL announced the recipients of the Bronze – Commitment to Quality on June 1 and Silver – Achievement in Quality on July 7. The National Quality Award Program is sponsored by AHCA/NCAL Associate Business Members My InnerView, by National Research Corporation and PointRight. My InnerView represents the true voice of nursing home and assisted living residents, families, and employees with the most insightful quality measurement solutions and satisfaction surveys in the healthcare continuum. PointRight is the recognized leader in data-driven analytics for healthcare and insurance. The recipient centers will be honored during the AHCA/NCAL's 66th Annual Convention and Exposition, October 4-7, 2015, in San Antonio, Texas.