Philadelphia – June 10, 2010 – ARAMARK Healthcare is proud to announce that Andrew Stiles, Senior Technology Manager, Clinical Technology Services, has been appointed to the Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for the second year in a row. Many hospitals pursue this prestigious award as one of the indicators of quality service.
The award is the highest level of national recognition for performance excellence that a U.S. organization can receive. A Board of Examiners – roughly 500 leading experts selected from industry, professional and trade organizations, education and healthcare organizations and government – is responsible for reviewing and evaluating applications submitted for the Award.
“The success of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Program is dependent on a board of highly-qualified volunteer Examiners who evaluate award applications,” said Harry Hertz, Director, Baldrige National Quality Program. “Our Examiners are the heart of the Program, as they give tremendous time and energy to evaluating applications and to helping organizations learn about the Program and its value.”
Stiles has been with ARAMARK Healthcare for more than six years, all but two of them at St. Joseph Regional Health Center in Bryan, Texas. There he assists with the evaluation of St. Joseph’s use of clinical technology and develops strategic plans for the maintenance, removal and purchase of capital assets technology.
As a Baldrige Examiner, Stiles is responsible for assessing an Award applicant’s improvement efforts, diagnosing their overall performance management system, and identifying their strengths and opportunities for improvement. His work as an Examiner provides the expertise necessary to look at the bigger picture as he evaluates the capital equipment needs of St. Joseph’s and enables him to implement business processes that would meet the high standards of a Baldrige evaluation. As a result, he is able to build a solid organizational process devoted to the life cycle management for St. Joseph’s capital equipment and offer guidance on other quality improvement efforts at the hospital.
“Organizations that pursue the Baldrige National Quality Award will tell you that it is not about the award, it’s about the journey. It’s about an organization using a focused and systematic approach to performance management,” said Stiles. “The valuable expertise I’ve gained from being a Baldrige Examiner has allowed me to bring national best practices back to both St. Joseph Regional Health Center and ARAMARK Healthcare.”
ARAMARK Healthcare has more than 30 years experience in managing clinical equipment and services at more than 500 hospitals across the country. It is the largest independent provider of clinical technology services and, as such, develops and trains its employees on best practices proven through the daily management of more than $2 billion of clinical equipment.
Stiles added, “Throughout this process, I’ve also gained a deeper appreciation and sense of pride for ARAMARK Healthcare’s commitment to delivering cost-effective solutions that enable our healthcare organization partners to protect and maintain their clinical equipment. Its this kind of commitment that led to the broad management support I received when pursuing this invaluable development opportunity.”
The well-respected Baldrige Award is given by the US Department of Commerce and named after President Reagan’s Secretary of Commerce Malcolm Baldrige. Congress created the Award program to identify and recognize role-model businesses; establish criteria for evaluating improvement efforts; and disseminate and share best practices. The evaluation process reviews Leadership, Strategic Planning, Customer Focus, Workforce Focus, Process Management, as well as Measurement, Analysis and Knowledge Management. The program was initially created for all U.S. business, but expanded to health care and education organizations in 1999 and to nonprofit/government organizations in 2005. In total, there are now 11 Hospitals that have received the Baldrige Award.
About ARAMARK Heathcare
ARAMARK Healthcare is a leader in providing best-in-class support services that are essential to healthcare delivery. Understanding that clinical excellence and the environment are interdependent, ARAMARK Healthcare directly impacts the entire healthcare continuum – patient, employee, nurse and physician satisfaction, operational efficiency and service excellence. Through its food, facility, and clinical technology services, ARAMARK Healthcare helps more than 1,000 hospitals and senior living facilities deliver the optimal experience for patients and residents, their families, and the physicians, nurses and staff who care for them. For more information, visit http://www.aramarkhealthcare.com.
About ARAMARK
ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses around the world. The company is recognized as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" by the Ethisphere Institute, as the industry leader in FORTUNE magazine's "World's Most Admired Companies," and as one of America's Largest Private Companies by both FORTUNE and Forbes magazines. ARAMARK seeks to responsibly address issues that matter to its clients, customers, employees and communities by focusing on employee advocacy, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and community involvement. Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 255,000 employees serving clients in 22 countries. Learn more at www.twitter.com/aramarknews.
Contacts:
Nicole Kennedy
215-238-8241
kennedy-nicole@aramark.com