Austin Medical Center — part of Mayo Health System — was honored by the Minnesota Council for Quality on May 18 recognizing the company’s pursuit of excellence with a 2009 Quality Award in Advancement.

The Minnesota Council for Quality recognizes Minnesota’s leading organizations in education, health care and business that have demonstrated a commitment to continuous improvement and sustained superior results.

The award is based on Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and is the culmination of a rigorous evaluation of an organization’s management system. Evaluation criteria include leadership, planning, customer-related processes, measurement systems, workforce engagement, and core processes.

Tammy Kritzer, vice president of clinical support, said the award highlights AMC’s progress towards excellence.

“The application and review process was very intense, however, one of great value to Austin Medical Center,” says Kritzer. “We received feedback highlighting our areas of strength, but most importantly opportunities for improvement. It’s really not about the award. It’s about continuous improvement and the pursuit of delivering better care for our patients.”

The council’s quality awards focus on process-driven results. “It forces us to think more clearly about the processes we use,” add Kritzer. “Once we do a full analysis of the process, we go back and continue to make it better.”

The Minnesota Council for Quality has four levels of awards:

Level One – Commitment

Level Two – Advancement

Level Three – Achievement

Level Four – Excellence

AMC was recognized at the Advancement level. For more information on the Minnesota Council for Quality visit www.councilforquality.org.