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The Orchards at Bartley Assisted Living's Dedication to Continuous Quality Improvement Earns Recognition

Washington, D.C. (8-25-06) The Orchards at Bartley Assisted Living is one of 92 long term care facilities in 28 states that have earned the American Health Care Association's (AHCA) and the National Center For Assisted Living's (NCAL) Quality Award for demonstrating its strong commitment to continuous quality improvement.

The Orchards at Bartley Assisted Living has received an AHCA/NCAL Step I Quality Award. All of the facilities that applied for this award addressed how they integrated the elements of systematic continuous quality improvement into their operations. As a Step I recipient, The Orchards at Bartley Assisted Living demonstrated its organization-wide commitment to a customer-focused facility mission, defined its principal customers and their expectations, and indicated ways that it is striving to meet their needs. The AHCA/NCAL Quality Awards are comprised of three levels: the first level is a Step I award; a more rigorous Step II award; and a comprehensive Step III award. In 2006, 92 facilities were recognized with the Step I award and an additional 12 facilities received the Step II award.

"The AHCA/NCAL Quality Awards are the most prestigious recognition of quality within the long term care profession," stated AHCA/NCAL President and CEO, Bruce Yarwood. "This facility's achievement places it at the forefront of organizational and performance excellence, where the mission of exceptional care for the elderly and disabled is vigorously pursued."

"The Orchards at Bartley Assisted Living's achievement shows that dedicated frontline caregivers, administrators, nurses and physicians are demonstrating their commitment to quality of care and meeting patients' needs," continued Yarwood. The Quality Awards are part of AHCA/NCAL's Quality First, an initiative to demonstrate the long term care community's commitment to a person-centered environment of quality and choice.

AHCA/NCAL's Quality Award is modeled after the criteria of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's premier award recognizing distinguished achievements. AHCA/NCAL's award is designed to support both continuous quality improvement efforts in long term care by promoting quality awareness and education and to recognize quality achievements.

The AHCA/NCAL Quality Award was created in 1996 to respond to an increasingly consumer-driven health care market's search for quantifiable indicators of quality in long term care. The award is proudly sponsored by McKesson and MyInnerview.

A ceremony for award recipients will be held during AHCA/NCAL's Annual Convention and Exposition, October 8-11, in San Antonio, TX.