Event Registration

Quality Symposium – Building a Culture of Excellence

Hybrid Format

This program will be offered in a hybrid format meaning you can attend in-person or virtually.

Note: Registering for this hybrid event grants you live access only.

Program Description

Quality doesn’t happen by accident. It is built through strong leadership, intentional culture and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Join us for the Quality Symposium as we explore the key components of high-performing care organizations. Sessions will focus on organizational excellence, embedding cultural competence and psychological safety into quality initiatives, mastering Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) requirements and applying practical Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) strategies that drive meaningful results.

Whether you are responsible for quality, clinical operations or organizational leadership, this symposium will provide actionable insights to help strengthen outcomes, support compliance and advance quality across your organization.

Get the Full Picture
Quality and compliance go hand in hand. Attend both the Quality Symposium and Regulatory Symposium to gain a comprehensive understanding of the operational, quality and regulatory issues impacting long-term care while saving with discounted bundle pricing. See details below.

Location

BCG Education Center
Iowa Health Care Association
1775 90^th St.
West Des Moines, IA

Schedule

July 29, 2026
9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

9:00 – 9:30 a.m.                            Registration/Check-In
9:30 – 10:30 a.m.                           Organizational Excellence Driven by the Baldrige Framework
10:45 – 11:45 a.m.                           Embedding Cultural Competence and Psychological Safety in Quality
11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.                   Lunch (provided for in-person attendees)
12:15 – 1:45 p.m.                             Practical QAPI Applications
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.                            Data, Deadlines and Dollars: Mastering the SNF QRP

Sessions

Organizational Excellence Driven by the Baldrige Framework  – Speakers: Ron Smith and Karen Kiel Rosser
Join this session to explore how Mary Greeley Medical Center (MGMC), a 2019 Baldrige Award recipient, launched and sustained its journey toward organizational excellence. Learn how applying the Baldrige Excellence Framework helped align strategy, integrate improvement efforts and drive meaningful results across the organization. This session will discuss: 

• Why MGMC chose to pursue the Baldrige journey — and how it complements Lean, Six Sigma and other improvement approaches 
• Tangible benefits realized through adoption of the Baldrige Excellence Framework 
• Key insights and feedback gained through the application process at both state and national levels 
• Practical lessons learned to help guide your own performance excellence journey 

The session will conclude with time for audience questions and discussion. 

Embedding Cultural Competence and Psychological Safety in Quality  – Speaker: Emily Scarbrough McFadden
Cultural competence and psychological safety are more than just ideals; they’re measurable parts of a quality system that directly impact communication, outcomes and staff retention. This session explores how long-term care organizations can put these principles into practice through QAPI, workforce development and leadership systems. Participants will learn practical ways to embed trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches into onboarding, training and performance improvement processes. Through case studies and structured reflection tools, the session will show how to weave empathy, trust and DEI principles into the fabric of quality systems that support both staff and residents. Attendees will leave with concrete strategies to build psychologically safe, culturally competent environments where person-centered care becomes a daily practice tied to accountability and measurable results.

Practical QAPI Applications  – Speaker: Trish Otterbeck
Turn QAPI concepts into meaningful, measurable improvements with practical strategies you can apply immediately. This session will explore how to integrate QAPI into everyday operations, engage direct care staff in the process, use data and root cause analysis to identify opportunities for improvement, and develop effective Performance Improvement Projects (PIPs). Through real-world examples and practical guidance, attendees will learn how to prioritize challenges, implement achievable action plans and build a culture of continuous quality improvement.

Data, Deadlines and Dollars: Mastering the SNF QRP  – Speaker: Amy Miller
The SNF QRP plays a critical role in regulatory compliance, public reporting and Medicare reimbursement for nursing homes. This session provides participants with a foundational understanding of the SNF QRP, including its purpose, structure and impact on facility operations and payment. Attendees will review the primary data sources used within the program and how each contributes to quality measurement and reporting accuracy. The presentation will also explain the three compliance thresholds SNFs must meet to avoid Medicare payment penalties. Finally, participants will identify practical, actionable steps nursing homes can implement to effectively monitor ongoing compliance, support accurate reporting and reduce financial and regulatory risk. 

Continuing Education Credit

This program is approved for 5.0 contact hours for:

• NF administrators
• Department heads
• Nurses
• Social services

Registration Fees

Member Pricing
Quality Symposium Only: $175 per person
Quality/Regulatory Symposium Bundle: $325 per person
IHCQP Members receive $25 discount.

Non-Member Pricing
Quality Symposium Only: $525 per person
Quality/Regulatory Symposium Bundle: $1025 per person

Speakers

Emily Scarbrough McFadden, MPH, CPHQ is SVP of Compliance and Education at Showd.me, where she leads compliance, workforce development and education strategy for health care providers nationwide. With more than a decade of experience in health care education and regulatory compliance, Emily specializes in helping post-acute care organizations build stronger, more engaged workforces through practical, evidence-based training programs. She is a frequent speaker on compliance, workforce development, leadership and organizational culture in health care. 

Amy Miller is currently the Director of Clinical and Regulatory Services with the American Health Care Association. She is a registered nurse with over 25 years of experience in skilled nursing and long-term care. She has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Misericordia University in Pennsylvania, is a certified professional coder with the AAPC, and is also a certified resident assessment coordinator.

Trish Otterbeck, RN is a registered nurse with 17 years of experience in the long-term care industry. Throughout her career, she has held a variety of clinical and leadership roles, advancing from a floor nurse to a director of nursing and serving in nursing leadership positions across Florida, Illinois and Iowa. Her extensive clinical expertise and operational leadership led to a previous role as a regional nurse consultant, where she supported multiple facilities in delivering quality resident care and maintaining regulatory compliance. Trish currently serves as VP of Clinical and Regulatory Services for Legacy – Iowa. In this role, she is committed to providing nursing teams with the resources, education and support needed to deliver exceptional, resident-centered care while maintaining compliance with state and federal regulations. Her passion for clinical excellence, leadership development and quality improvement continues to strengthen care delivery across the organization. 

Karen Kiel Rosser, MHA, LSSGB is VP and Chief Quality and Strategy Officer for Mary Greeley Medical Center. Karen is responsible for the overall direction of quality and performance excellence, as well as organizational strategy at the medical center. This includes the development and implementation of a system-wide framework for performance excellence, utilizing criteria from the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program, and the tools of lean and six sigma. She has led the organization to achieve the state’s highest level of recognition for performance excellence – the Iowa Recognition for Performance Excellence – four times. 

Ron Smith, MPA, LSSGB serves as Performance Excellence Director for Mary Greeley Medical Center, where he leads the organization’s performance improvement strategy, oversees Project Portfolio Management, facilitates rapid improvement event teams, and partners with departments across the medical center to implement standardized work and the Managing for Daily Improvement initiative.

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