Journey to Excellence: How Baldrige Health Care Leaders Succeed

Based on a study of nine health care organizations that have received the Baldrige Award since 2002, this book, by experienced Baldrige examiners and judges, reveals the award winners' processes for enterprise management, yielding insights that health care leaders at all levels will be able to apply to their own organizations. The book identifies five stages of the winning organizations' improvement process, and identifies critical activities that supported progress on the journey, in areas such as leadership, assessment, and results. Side bars illustrate best practices, and chapter key points are included. Material is based on interviews with leaders of the winning organizations, analysis of the winners' award applications, presentations at national and regional meetings, and other publications by or about them. The book is not a Baldrige educational manual, nor is it a how-to book about the Baldrige process, although it includes practical information about the successful use of the Baldrige Criteria for health care. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)