Quality Advisor

The World Health Organization's World Patient Safety Day 2026 campaign is now available online. This year's theme is "Safe care for life!", focusing on safe care for people living with noncommunicable diseases. Visit their campaign page for ready-to-use graphics, key messages and other resources to support local awareness efforts.

 2026 Wisconsin Quality Residency Program Kicks Off

2026-2027 Wisconsin Quality Resident participants

The 2026-27 cohort of the Wisconsin Quality Residency program kicked off September 9. The in-person learning module topic, "Leading as a Quality Healthcare Professional," featured presentations by Wisconsin hospital quality leaders Lori Haack, Director of Quality and Patient Safety, UW Health; Ashley Knox, MSN, RN, Quality Manager, Sanford Health, Marshfield Clinic Region and Amanda Reilly, MSN, RN, Director of Quality Services at Southwest Health. This 10-month program is a combination of in-person and virtual sessions and covers many quality-related topics, including regulatory requirements, risk management, data reporting and quality improvement methods.

Participants in this year's full program represent seven Wisconsin hospitals/health systems. Individual module registration is available for quality and other interested current or rising hospital leaders looking for a “refresher” in a specific topic. See Educational Events & Resources section below for information.

A big thank you to our presenters, Amanda Reilly (Southwest Health), Lori Haack (UW Health) and Ashley Knox (Sanford Health, Marshfield Clinic Region).

See Wisconsin Quality Residency Program for more information or email Jenny Pritchett.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health (WORH), the program is a collaboration between the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) and the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative (RWHC).

Save the Dates!

2026 Healthcare Quality Week | October 18 - 24

Join us as we celebrate Healthcare Quality Week 2026, recognizing the dedicated professionals who work every day to advance quality, safety and patient-centered care.

To mark the occasion, WHA Quality will host a series of complimentary lunchtime webinars provided by WHA corporate members MedPro Group and Copic from 12-1 p.m., focused on key topics in quality and patient safety:

• October 20: Risk Management Fundamentals
• October 21: Is it Just "Culture" or Is it "Just Culture"
• October 22: Building a Safety Culture

Registration information will be available soon. We hope you'll join us for this week of learning, engagement and celebration of health care quality excellence!

FFY 2027 IPPS Final Rule Analysis and Webinar Recording

On July 31, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2027 final rule for the Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS). This reflects the annual updates to the Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) inpatient payment rates and policies. For details and information, you can review DataGen's August webinar FFY 2027 IPPS Final Rule analysis and access the recording.

Caring for Wisconsin's Caregivers    

Caring for Wisconsin's Caregivers: WHA Workforce Well-Being Summit

Dr. Gaurava Agarwal, featured keynote speaker

Wisconsin health care leaders gathered September 10 for the inaugural Caring for Wisconsin's Caregivers: 2026 WHA Healthcare Workforce Well-Being Summit, bringing together nearly 100 executives, clinicians, HR professionals and workforce well-being advocates to advance strategies that support Wisconsin's health care workforce. The event marked the launch of Phase 2 of Wisconsin's statewide health care workforce well-being initiative and highlighted the growing importance of caregiver well-being as a cornerstone of quality patient care and organizational success.

A featured keynote by Dr. Gaurava Agarwal of Northwestern Medicine emphasized that workforce well-being extends beyond individual resilience and depends on creating workplace cultures where health care professionals can thrive. Sharing practical examples from Northwestern Medicine, he highlighted the organization's Scholars of Wellness program, which develops internal well-being champions who help foster connection, support colleagues and strengthen organizational culture. His message reinforced the link between caregiver well-being, patient outcomes, workforce retention and overall health care performance.

Additional presentations from Dr. Sandra Carr-Johnson, Dr. Mike Stadler and Dr. Stef Simmons explored how leadership, communication, peer learning and supportive workplace systems contribute to long-term workforce sustainability. Speakers encouraged organizations to focus on meaningful, achievable improvements while building on existing strengths and resources.

The summit celebrated Wisconsin becoming the third state to launch a statewide health care workforce well-being initiative in partnership with the Dr. Lorna Breen Foundation and the first to implement The Breen Scale™ statewide. Participating organizations can use the tool to assess workforce well-being maturity and access resources tailored to their needs.

The summit also provided an opportunity to recognize Wisconsin hospitals and health systems that have earned designation as Wellbeing First Champions™ through the Dr. Lorna Breen Foundation. This recognition reflects the important work completed during Phase 1 of Wisconsin's statewide initiative, which focused on reviewing credentialing, licensure and peer reference practices to remove intrusive mental health questions and reduce barriers to seeking care. Their accomplishments highlight the meaningful progress already underway across Wisconsin and reinforce the state's leadership in advancing health workforce well-being.

The strong engagement demonstrated Wisconsin's commitment to supporting caregivers and creating healthier workplaces for those who serve patients and communities across the state.

Read the full article at WHA – Caring for Wisconsin's Caregivers: Health Workforce Well-Being.

Watch Caring for Wisconsin's Caregivers: Advancing Health Workforce Well-Being in Wisconsin video: How Healthcare Leaders Throughout Wisconsin Are Advancing Workforce Well-Being.

Wisconsin hospitals and health systems recognized as Wellbeing First Champions™ for advancing health workforce well-being through supportive credentialing, licensure and peer reference practices.