What is Quality First?

Quality First is the aging-services field's national quality improvement initiative. It is a philosophy of quality and a framework for earning the public's trust in our field.

AAHSA Quality First is the way in which Meadowood accepts responsibility for assuring that the people they serve receive quality care and services. Quality First makes Meadowood directly accountable for excellence and distinguishes AAHSA members as not-for-profit aging-services providers.

AAHSA Quality First provides Meadowood with opportunities to:

• Reaffirm our public commitment to quality.
• Assess our 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 - Meadowood management, our 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 at Meadowood

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

AAHSA Quality First Covenant is a Promise by Meadowood

Both the top executive and chair of the board of trustees has signed AAHSA's Quality First Covenant, making the following pledge to maximize quality of care and quality of life for older adults at Meadowood:

• We are committed to achieving excellence in the quality of care and services provided to consumers and to earning the public's trust.
• We believe that aging has a fulfilling purpose in life and that our society's elders have enduring value to family and community.
• We believe that Meadowood, a not-for-profit organization, has a special role in society to provide healthy, affordable, and ethical aging services. Our objective is to provide the highest quality and most compassionate care and services to the people we serve.
• We believe that the field of aging services should adhere to applicable legal, ethical and professional standards that are based on stated values and policies.
• We believe that we should strive to offer programs and services that are based on contemporary research and knowledge to meet the needs of the people we serve as well as paid and volunteer caregivers, to the best of our ability.