CHICAGO, Dec. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association for Healthcare Quality^® (NAHQ) proudly announced two prestigious healthcare industry awards today. As the association representing the profession and discipline of healthcare Quality & Safety, NAHQ considers these awards a clear indication that Quality is receiving the recognition it deserves as a critical component to achieving healthcare excellence.

NAHQ chief executive officer Stephanie Mercado, CAE, CPHQ, has been named one of the "100 Most Influential People in Healthcare" of 2024 by Modern Healthcare. This coveted recognition honors individuals who are deemed by the senior editors of Modern Healthcare to be the most influential professionals in the industry in terms of leadership and impact. This is the second year in a row Mercado has been named to the list.

NAHQ Board of Directors' President Patricia Resnik, MJ, MBA, FACHE, RRT, CPHQ, CHC, CMAC, says of Mercado, "This is a testament to Stephanie's success, building the profession of healthcare Quality and most recently, her visionary leadership in NAHQ forming a ground-breaking strategic alliance with The Joint Commission that will transform healthcare and advance Quality & Safety, across the country and around the world."

NAHQ has also been recognized in the Modern Healthcare "Best in Business" awards as the only honoree in the associations category. This esteemed program, new this year, is designed to honor the exceptional contributions of healthcare organizations across twenty-two critical categories, celebrating those who drive innovation, efficiency and excellence across the healthcare ecosystem. NAHQ has a legacy of innovation, pioneering industry advances such as the NAHQ Healthcare Quality Competency Framework, The Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) credential and Workforce Accelerator, as well as creating premier industry events such as NAHQ next and Healthcare Quality Week.

"Receiving this personal acknowledgement for the second year in a row, simultaneously announced with a pioneering award for NAHQ, makes it a huge day for NAHQ and also for Quality & Safety," said Mercado. "NAHQ has been proving that investing in workforce competencies for Quality & Safety is having an impact at the bedside, on the balance sheet and more. These acknowledgements demonstrate that the critical role Quality plays in improving outcomes is being recognized at the highest levels in healthcare."

Since joining NAHQ in 2013, Mercado has been an important industry voice in elevating the profession and advancing the discipline of healthcare Quality & Safety. She has led the industry in identifying and addressing the unmet needs of the healthcare workforce required to deliver Quality excellence and has put a spotlight on the importance of Quality to deliver healthcare excellence.

"Quality matters. What we in the Quality discipline do each day matters. It's being recognized and being awarded. And most important of all, it's making a difference," added Juliana Fishleigh, chief of staff at NAHQ.

The complete rankings for both awards can be found in the Dec. 9 issue of Modern Healthcare magazine, and profiles of all the honorees are available online at ModernHealthcare.com/.

About NAHQ
The National Association for Healthcare Quality^® (NAHQ) is at the forefront of elevating the profession and advancing the discipline of quality & safety across the continuum of care. We set the industry standard through our expert-created, twice-validated Healthcare Quality Competency Framework^™ and help individuals and organizations achieve it through educational programming, industry leading data-driven intelligence, and the only accredited certification in healthcare quality, Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality^® (CPHQ). NAHQ also serves as a welcoming membership community and a trusted partner to 150+ organizations helping build quality infrastructures, workforce planning and professional development programs and quality cultures. Learn more at NAHQ.org.

Media Contact:
Evelyn Warren
PR and Communications Director
National Association for Healthcare Quality
ewarren@nahq.org

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SOURCE National Association For Healthcare Quality