Picker Institute, Inc.

An important element of the mission of Picker Institute is to identify and promote “best practices” that will lead to the advancement of patient-centered care. The annual Picker Institute Awards for Excellence® in the Advancement of Patient-Centered Care recognize those professionals in the field whose work best exemplifies the goals and philosophy of Picker Institute.

Two awards are made annually, one to an individual and the other to an organization, to recognize each one’s outstanding contribution to improving the lives of patients by making interaction with the healthcare system less stressful and more comfortable.

Who can qualify?

Two awards shall be made annually, one to an individual and the other to an Institution, to recognize each one’s outstanding contribution to improving the lives of patients, by making interaction with the health care system less stressful and more comfortable.

The Organizational Award will be given annually to an organization that has a systematic method for evaluating the quality of patient-centered care and that has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to, and a proven record of, improving the patient experience. Nominations should include evidence to support the commitment and improvement

In addition to being publicly cited for outstanding service to the well-being of patients, Picker Award recipients will receive $10,000.

What is the nomination process?

Nominations for the awards are sought from those within the healthcare system in any country that has a systematic method for evaluating the quality of patientcentered care.

The nomination should include a clear description of the improvement(s) achieved by the individual or the organization, as well as the role of the individual and/or the organization in bringing about the advance(s).

The nominations will be evaluated and the recipients for the year selected by a committee comprised of individuals prominent in the field of patient-centered care. The committee’s recommendations will be presented to the board of directors of Picker Institute for final approval.

In evaluating the importance of the candidate’s project, consideration will be given to its efficacy, feasibility and broad applicability. Award winners will subsequently meet with members of the Picker Institute Education Committee to discuss practical applications to support the implementation of their “best practice” methodologies throughout the healthcare system.

What are the criteria for selection?

The criteria for evaluating individuals and organizations for the annual Picker Institute awards are based on the principles of care deemed important to the patient … “through the patient’s eyes.” These principles are derived from two sources: the principles of patient-centered care outlined in the classic text Through the Patient’s Eyes; and the description of what patients should expect from their healthcare from The Institute of Medicine Report “Crossing the Quality Chasm: Simple Rules for the 21st Century Health Care System.”

Mail your nomination to:

Picker Institute is a member of ISQua, The International Society for Quality in Health Care Inc. ISQua offers a unique opportunity for individuals and institutions with a common interest to share expertise via an international multidisciplinary forum. Supported by members, including leading quality health care providers and agencies in 70 countries, and with additional funds from the Australian and Victorian Governments, the ISQua Secretariat in located in Melbourne, Australia.

Picker Institute Announces Winners of Annual Awards
for Excellence® in the Advancement of Patient-Centered Care

Dr. Ed Wagner, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Pioneer Network, received the 2007 Picker Awards for Excellence® in the Advancement of Patient-Centered Care at the “Celebrating Quality” event during the annual International Society for Quality in Health Care conference in Boston on Oct. 2.

Dr. Wagner, who received the individual award, was honored for his championship of the importance of making patient-centered care an integral part of the delivery of healthcare to the chronically ill. He is the director of the MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation at Group Health in Seattle, Wash. The mission of the MacColl Institute, founded in 1992, is to link the worlds of research and clinical care by developing, evaluating and disseminating innovations in healthcare delivery.

“This award means more to me than I will be able to express today,” Dr. Wagner said in accepting the award. “It is from an organization that has done so much to keep healthcare focused where it belongs—on patients, their desires and their dignity. Patient-centeredness must ultimately be a property of healthcare systems and not just a function of the communications skills of individual providers if we are to achieve the kind of healthcare envisioned by Harvey Picker and Picker Institute.”

Pioneer Network, which received the organizational award, is a growing coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to making fundamental changes in values and practices to create a culture of aging and long-term care that is life-affirming, satisfying, humane and meaningful. The award was accepted by Pioneer’s executive director, Dr. Bonnie Kantor.

“It is with enormous pleasure and pride that I accept this award,” Dr. Kantor said. “The goal of Pioneer Network is to change the total environment of nursing homes from an institutional model to one that embraces patient- and resident-centered care. As you all know, the barriers to change are persistent, and over the next five years we will focus on these barriers so that the mission and vision we share with Picker Institute will be realized.”

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality received the special award, which was accepted by the agency’s director, Dr. Carolyn Clancy. “I’m thrilled to accept this award from Picker Institute, which has done so much to make patient-centered care a reality,” Dr. Clancy said. “In 2008 every American will be able to go to the Hospital Compare Web site and learn about the patient-reported experience in almost every hospital in the country. This success required close collaboration with the best scientists, policymakers and multiple stakeholders and represents both a scientific and a political triumph, and we will treasure this award.”

Photos from the 2007 Picker Awards for Excellence® in the Advancement of Patient-Centered Care:

Dr. Ed Wagner, the winner of the 2007 individual Picker Award for Excellence®, and Mark Waxman, Esq., chairman of the Picker Institute board of directors. Click here for Dr. Wagner’s acceptance speech.	Dr. Bonnie Kantor, the executive director of Pioneer Network, the winner of the 2007 organizational Picker Award for Excellence®, with Dr. Steve Schoenbaum, vice chairman of the Picker Institute board of directors. Click here for Dr. Kantor’s acceptance speech.	Dr. Carolyn Clancy, the director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the winner of the special 2007 Picker Award for Excellence®. Click here for Dr. Clancy’s acceptance speech.
Harvey Picker, second from right, with 2007 Picker Awards winners, from left, Dr. Ed Wagner, Dr. Bonnie Kantor of Pioneer Network and Dr. Carolyn Clancy of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.	Mark Waxman, Esq., chairman of the Picker Institute board of directors, left, with 2007 Picker Award winners Dr. Carolyn Clancy of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Dr. Bonnie Kantor of Pioneer Network, Dr. Ed Wagner and Dr. Steve Schoenbaum, vice chairman of the Picker Institute board of directors.	Dr. David Watt, the vice president for professional affairs for the Federation of State Medical Boards, was a panelist for one of the two Picker Patient-Centered Care Tracks, “Physician Accountability for Patient-Centered Care,” at the 24th annual conference for the International Society for Quality in Health Care in Boston on Oct. 1.
Dr. Bonnie Kantor, executive director of Pioneer Network, was a panelist for one of the two Picker Patient-Centered Care Tracks, “Patient-Centered Chronic Care and Resident-Centered Long-Term Care,” at the 24th annual conference for the International Society for Quality in Health Care in Boston on Oct. 2.	Dr. David Leach, a member of the Picker Institute board of directors and the CEO of the Accreditation Committee for Graduate Medical Examination, was a panelist for one of the two Picker Patient-Centered Care Tracks, “Physician Accountability for Patient-Centered Care,” at the 24th annual conference for the International Society for Quality in Health Care in Boston on Oct. 1.	Sir Donald Irvine, M.D., a member of the Picker Institute board of directors and the chairman of the board of picker Institute Europe, was a panelist for one of the two Picker Patient-Centered Care Tracks, “Physician Accountability for Patient-Centered Care,” at the 24th annual conference for the International Society for Quality in Health Care in Boston on Oct. 1.
Harvey Picker, center, with former winners of the Picker Awards for Excellence®, including, from left, Dr. Al Mulley, Planetree president Dr. Susan Frampton, Commonwealth Fund president Dr. Karen Davis and Sir Donald Irvine, M.D., chairman of the board of Picker Institute Europe.	Harvey Picker and Dr. Karen Davis, the president of The Commonwealth Fund, at the inaugural Picker Plenary Lecture at the 24th annual conference for the International Society for Quality in Health Care in Boston on Oct. 1. Dr. Davis discussed “The Role of Information Technology in Achieving a High-Performance Health System: The International Experience.”

Annual Picker Institute Awards for Excellence® in the Advancement of Patient-Centered Care

Who can qualify?

What is the nomination process?

What are the criteria for selection?

Mail your nomination to:

Picker Institute Announces Winners of Annual Awards for Excellence® in the Advancement of Patient-Centered Care

Picker Institute Announces Winners of Annual Awards
for Excellence® in the Advancement of Patient-Centered Care