2026 Fall Newsletter

There’s Still Time to Register!

The Safety Shift: Transforming Lessons Learned into Safer Care

Don’t miss this outstanding opportunity to learn from healthcare leaders, connect with peers across Arkansas, and gain practical strategies to improve patient safety and quality outcomes. Arkansas Association for Healthcare Quality (AAHQ) and Arkansas Organization of Nurse Leaders. ArONL 2026 Fall Conference brings quality and nursing leadership together for a day of learning, networking, and inspiration.

📅 September 25, 2026
🕘 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
📍 CHI St. Vincent Infirmary, Little Rock

Highlights Include:

✅ Inspiring keynote presentation from RaDonda Vaught sharing her journey and advocacy for patient safety.
✅ High reliability and safety transformation strategies with Kim Werkmeister.
✅ Networking opportunities and silent auction.
✅ Up to 4 Nursing Contact Hours and 4 CPHQ Continuing Education Hours available.

Whether you’re a quality professional, nurse leader, healthcare executive, or frontline clinician, this conference offers valuable insights you can take back to your organization.

Register by September 23rd and join us in advancing safer care for Arkansas patients!

🔗 Registration Information: https://arkhospitals.org/images/WEBDOCS/AAHQ2026/safety_shift_prog.pdf

Learn more here: https://www.arkhospitals.org/AAHQ/Events/Event_Display.aspx?WebsiteKey=6196cd92-6c2d-4a2e-883e-8fea68cdf110&EventKey=AAHQ092526

From the President’s Desk

Submitted by: Erin Bolton, RN, BSN, CPHQ

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for fall weather. As I write this, my air conditioner is running trying to keep the temperature in my house at a reasonable level. It’s still in the mid to upper 90s here in the middle of September!

I can’t believe we are almost to the last quarter of the year. This time of year the days seem to go by even faster. We are preparing for the Fall Conference on September 25 and are very excited about our speakers. We hope you have made plans to attend.

It won’t be long before we hold elections for the Secretary and President-Elect positions on our Board. If you know someone who would make a good candidate for either one of these positions, please contact me and let me know. You will be hearing more about our upcoming elections from our Protocol team.

I am excited about our Quality Week speaker, Jodie McGinley, who is going to speak to us about her story and interactions with Patient and Family Advisory Council. We are hoping to make this a three-part series that will continue into the New Year. Make plans to attend the webinar on Thursday, October 22 at 3:00pm. More information to come.

It’s not too late to let me hear from you! My goal is to keep you updated about what the board is working on and what direction we are moving. I value your input. Please let me know if we are on the right track or if there are other things that we could offer that would benefit you more. I have the pleasure of serving with some of the greatest quality folks in the state, and we would all love to be of assistance to you. If you are new to quality or just need some fresh input as we navigate this ever changing regulatory world, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Erin Bolton

AAHQ Board President

boltone@jrmc.org

Protocol Update

Submitted by: Dana Scott, RN

Election season is here! As national and state elections capture the attention of our communities, we also have an important opportunity to help shape the leadership of our organization. By working together, we can continue advancing our mission, supporting one another, and upholding the standards of our profession.

Beginning September 25, we invite members to submit nominations for two board positions: President-Elect and Secretary.

The President-Elect will serve a three-year term, with one year each as President-Elect, President, and Past President. Responsibilities include facilitating board meetings, appointing committees and teams, and collaborating with fellow leaders to support the organization’s evolving needs.

The Secretary will serve a two-year term. Responsibilities include recording meeting minutes and working with board members to support effective communication and other organizational needs.

Every member’s perspective and leadership contribute to our shared success. We encourage you to consider serving or to nominate a colleague whose commitment and contributions would strengthen the board. If you have any questions regarding these open positions, please contact me at dscott@wregional.com. A nomination form will be shared in the coming weeks.

We invite all AAHQ members to mark the following dates on their calendars and participate in the election process:

· Nominations Open: September 25, 2026

· Nominations Close: October 30, 2026

· Voting Period: November 2 – November 13, 2026

Thank you for your continued commitment to our profession and helping guide the future of AAHQ!

Visit https://www.sepsis.org/get-involved/sepsis-awareness-month/

CPHQ Scholarship Article

Harnessing Daily Experience for CPHQ Success

Submitted by: Stephanie Parson, MSN, MHA, RN, CPHQ

If you’ve been on the fence about pursuing your Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) designation, I want to share a key takeaway from my experience: this exam is a validation of your current knowledge, and your daily work has already prepared you for a majority of it.

As quality professionals, our primary focus is patient safety and continuous improvement. When reviewing the CPHQ exam domain content, it quickly becomes clear how closely the test reflects the work we do every day. In Organizational Leadership, we navigate governance, strategic planning, and regulatory compliance. Through Health Data Analytics, we manage data, measure outcomes, and apply statistical analysis. In Performance and Process Improvement, we drive continuous improvement using Lean, Six Sigma, and other proven frameworks. Finally, within Patient Safety, we execute proactive risk management and error prevention strategies.

Much like nursing board exams, CPHQ exam questions often present scenarios where two options seem appropriate. The key to navigating these questions is adopting the true CPHQ mindset by remembering that our primary role is to serve as an unbiased facilitator. We are there to guide interdisciplinary teams through process improvement without steering them toward a specific pre-determined outcome.

While daily experience builds the foundation, using target prep materials helps pull everything together. Taking advantage of the Arkansas Association for Healthcare Quality (AAHQ) offering the CPHQ Virtual Prep was an opportunity too good to pass up!

I also used the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) CPHQ Prep Package that included practice tests that provided the single biggest benefit in assessing my readiness and practicing scenario-based questions. In addition, the Mometrix CPHQ Study Guide (2026-2027) offered a comprehensive review with free access to online practice tests with detailed answer rationales. I also utilized the “Test Prep Central” channel on YouTube, where CPHQ test videos break down sample questions alongside the rationale for each answer, helping train my brain to think from the test-maker’s perspective.

If there is one piece of advice I can leave you with, it’s this: set a date and schedule your exam. There will always be an excuse to wait—a busy work week, a new project, or a packed personal calendar. However, putting that test date on the calendar creates immediate accountability and gives your study plan a clear focus.

I am deeply grateful to AAHQ for supporting my professional development through the scholarship and prep resources. I encourage each of you to leverage the tools AAHQ offers, trust the foundational knowledge you build every day in your roles, and take that next step toward CPHQ certification!

Celebrating the discipline and people working in healthcare Quality & Safety.

The National Healthcare Quality Week was established by the National Association of Healthcare Quality in 1985, to recognize and celebrate the contribution of healthcare quality experts in their various organizations. Every year, NAHQ holds a week-long celebration in collaboration with groups dedicated to improving healthcare quality. NAHQ founded the Healthcare Quality Education Foundation to further its understanding of quality healthcare delivery. Healthcare quality professionals work to ensure patients receive the best quality healthcare possible and that they are treated with the best equipment available, as well as managed properly to prevent them from frequently coming back to the hospital for the same problem. Because of the critical role that healthcare quality experts play; their relevance has been emphasized every third week in October for more than three decades (nahq.org).

Communications Update

Submitted by: Joel Anderson, GC-MGMT, BBA

Happy Fall,

Fall weather appears to be on its way to Arkansas. I can’t wait! I would take fall or spring weather year-round if I could! However, we have seasons for a reason! National Healthcare Quality Week is October 18-24, 2026, and will be here before you know it! Join AAHQ in celebrating the dedicated professionals who work tirelessly to ensure high-quality care and patient safety. How does your facility plan to celebrate? The Communications Action Team would love to receive pictures of how your healthcare teams are honoring this monumental week. Please email your pics to andersonj@jrmc.org. We would love to highlight some of your activities in the next quarterly newsletter.

Joel Anderson

Communications Team Lead

CPHQ Scholarship Article

Strengthening Arkansas’s Stroke System Through Updated Designation Pathways

Submitted by: Dave Vrudny, MPH, CPHQ

Improving stroke care across Arkansas is a little like maintaining a network of lighthouses along our shoreline. Each hospital helps guide patients safely during one of the most time‑critical emergencies we see. The Arkansas Stroke Ready Hospital (ArSRH) designation is one way the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) makes sure those “lights” stay bright, consistent, and ready.

This year, ADH updated the process for hospitals currently listed as provisional ArSRH sites. By December 1, 2026, hospitals in provisional status must submit a Letter of Intent within six months to begin the full designation process. Hospitals that choose not to move forward will no longer be listed publicly as provisional on the ADH website. The list of hospitals in provisional status may be found here: https://healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/diseases-conditions/stroke/provisionally-designated-as-ar-stroke-ready-hospitals/

Even though the program is voluntary, earning ArSRH designation tells your community, “We’re prepared. We meet evidence‑based standards recognized by the Arkansas Department of Health.” It’s a mark of trust and a sign of readiness that can make a meaningful difference during a stroke emergency.

Keeping the Signal Strong: Re‑Designation Every Three Years
After a hospital becomes fully designated, it completes a re‑designation review every three years. This confirms the facility continues to meet ADH benchmarks, maintains the staff and equipment needed for acute stroke care, and remains engaged in ongoing quality improvement. If any required measures fall below state benchmarks, the hospital works with ADH to strengthen performance and return to target.

The goal is not extra paperwork. The goal is to ensure hospitals stay prepared and keep their “light” shining for the communities they serve.

Why Designation Matters
For patients and families, designation provides reassurance that their local hospital is equipped for rapid stroke assessment, timely CT imaging, and coordinated access to treatment. For EMS and community partners, it clarifies which facilities have met ADH’s evidence‑based expectations for stroke response. And for hospitals, it supports both quality improvement and community confidence.

Next Steps for Hospitals

Provisional hospitals: Submit your Letter of Intent by December 1, 2026 (six months from the June 1 update).
Email LOIs to Jonathan.P.Weigt@arkansas.gov.
Full designation application: Hospitals can begin the application process here:
https://healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/diseases-conditions/stroke/arkansas-stroke-ready-hospitals/

AAHQ Sponsors

Gold Level Sponsors

American Data Network

Founded in 1994, American Data Network provides clinical, quality, safety and financial data applications and services to healthcare executives, allowing them to better manage costs and care quality, influence physician practice patterns and meet demands for public accountability and disclosure. For more information about ADN and its services, please visit www.americandatanetwork.com.

Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care

For more than 35 years, AFMC has helped improve the quality of healthcare in Arkansas. As the federally designated quality improvement organization (QIO), we work with staff in every healthcare setting and offer free tools and resources. Together, we’re working to make healthcare safer, more effective and more efficient. For more information about AFMC’s services, please go to www.afmc.org.

Empower Healthcare Solutions

Founded in 2018, Empower is the largest of four Provider-led Arkansas Shared Saving Entities (PASSE) in Arkansas. Empower is committed to helping members live fuller, healthier lives at home and in their communities. For more information about Empower Healthcare Solutions, please visit https://getempowerhealth.com/