Eligibility

Requirements for Submission

Award nominations must be submitted by an NAPH member and represent a specific activity in that hospital or health system. A member may nominate one program in each of the three categories (for a maximum of three nominations per member hospital).

• Nominated programs must have been in existence and operational for at least 6 months to be considered for a Safety Net Award.
• All projects submitted must have data to support the improvement.
• Applicants may re-nominate an activity submitted in a previous year’s competition, as long as that program did not receive a 2009 Safety Net Award or honorable mention.
• All nominations must be approved by the hospital/system CEO.

Key Points to Address in the Submission

• Provide a clear statement of the problem or challenge addressed by the program/activity.
• List the goals of the program/activity.
• Describe the improvement process used to achieve the goals.
• Describe outcomes achieved from the program/activity. (Include specific results for either patients or the hospital/system. Provide the quantitative or qualitative data showing a link between the program and improved performance.)
• Describe the commitment of your organization’s leadership to the issue. For example, how did they participate in the project?
• Describe how another hospital/system can apply your program/activity to improve care at their organization.
• Describe the most important lessons learned that could be shared with other safety net organizations addressing similar issues.  (Include both successes and barriers that were encountered and overcome.)
• If technology was used in this program/activity, provide a brief overview of the technology and how it contributed to the improvement.
• List presentations or publications submitted or completed that describe your project.

Judging Criteria

Reviewers of Safety Net Award submissions, which include member and industry experts, will look for:

• How clearly the challenge was articulated, and how completely the activities address the challenge.
• How well the data describes the improvements and shows evidence of sustained improvement.
• The potential impact of the program. (Preference will be given to programs/activities that are likely to have a significant effect on the overall value of health care.) Impact may be defined as affecting a broad population, addressing a critical health issue, or demonstrating large cost savings.
• Whether or not the program focuses on the needs of vulnerable populations, including low-income groups, minority groups, children, the elderly, and individuals with special health care needs.