Quality Advisor

WHA Connects with Nursing Leaders at the Wisconsin Center for Nursing Workforce Summit

WHA Quality Director Jill Lindwall, the program director for Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (AHW) Landmark Award, Caring for Wisconsin's Caregivers Initiative, and Jenny Pritchett, WHA clinical quality improvement manager and health system leader for Superior Health's CMS Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) Program, 13th Scope of Work, attended the Wisconsin Center for Nursing's 2026 Annual Nursing Workforce Summit, where they sponsored a table. The summit brought together nurses, nursing leaders, educators and health care stakeholders from across Wisconsin to discuss the current state of the nursing workforce, future workforce projections, recruitment and retention strategies, and innovative approaches to supporting nurses throughout their careers.

Attendees heard valuable insights from the latest Wisconsin RN and LPN workforce survey reports. Summit data highlighted encouraging trends, including stabilization of workforce turnover rates. At the same time, presenters emphasized that demand for nurses will remain strong as Wisconsin's population continues to age and health care needs become increasingly complex.

Workforce retention remains a priority for health care organizations across the state. WHA offers several resources to support organizations in creating environments where caregivers can succeed and remain engaged in their roles. Programs such as the Wisconsin Quality Residency Program help develop and support health care quality professionals, while upcoming opportunities like the Caring for Wisconsin's Caregivers Workforce Well-being Summit focus on practical strategies to improve caregiver well-being, workforce retention, organizational culture and patient care outcomes.

Wisconsin Association for Healthcare Quality (WAHQ) 2026 Annual Conference: Quality Across the Continuum – Perspectives That Matter!

Please spread the word!

Please share with your network of quality leaders and frontline clinical professionals! The conference is less than a month away, registration will be closing soon and we're excited to bring together an outstanding lineup of speakers and timely topics from across the continuum of care. In addition to learning and networking opportunities, attendees can showcase their own quality improvement successes through our Quality Story opportunity. We also offer a great student rate.

Join health care quality professionals from across Wisconsin on September 25 at the Glacier Canyon Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells for the Wisconsin Association for Healthcare Quality (WAHQ) Annual Conference.

Keynote Speaker Spotlight: Jennifer Mueller

We are excited to welcome Jennifer Mueller, MBA, RHIA, FAHIMA, FACHE, senior vice president of health information career advancement & academic affairs at American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), as our keynote speaker.

Mueller is a nationally recognized leader in health information management and health care technology with an impressive career that includes serving as president of AHIMA, vice president and privacy officer for the Wisconsin Hospital Association Information Center and vice president and chief information officer at Watertown Regional Medical Center.

Mueller's keynote, "Best Practices for Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare Quality," will explore how AI is transforming health care quality, patient safety and data-driven decision-making. Attendees will gain insights into emerging risks related to bias, privacy, patient identity and data integrity, along with practical approaches for responsible AI governance and oversight.

Additional Featured Sessions

The conference will also feature:

• Legislative Updates from Wisconsin Hospital Association leaders Jon Hoelter and Abbey Rude
• Quality Beyond the Clinic: Why Community Support Matters presented by Michelle Robinson, PhD, of The Foundation for Black Women's Wellness
• Lightning Talks focused on quality across the lifespan, including prenatal care, pediatric care, ambulatory pharmacy, care coordination and swing bed utilization
• Improving Quality and Proving Quality: Running an Effective and Efficient QAPI Program in Long-Term Care
• Updates from the Field featuring quality leaders from health care organizations across Wisconsin

In addition to learning from industry experts, attendees will have opportunities to network with peers, exchange ideas, and learn what's happening across the continuum of care throughout Wisconsin.

Share Your Quality Story

Have a successful quality improvement project or innovative practice to share? Consider presenting your own quality story and helping others learn from your experience. Learn more here!

Don't miss this opportunity to connect, learn and be inspired by health care quality leaders from across the state.

September 25, 2026

Glacier Canyon Conference Center, Wisconsin Dells, WI

Register Today!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Blog: America’s Hospitals Are Transforming Care for an Aging Nation

A new American Hospital Association (AHA) blog details how hospitals are modernizing care for older Americans. It highlights the Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative, created by The John A. Hartford Foundation, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the AHA, along with other resources by the AHA and its partners. “Across the country, hospitals are modernizing care for older Americans by investing in workforce training, embracing innovative technologies and redesigning care models,” writes Rani E. Snyder, president of The John A. Hartford Foundation, and Chris DeRienzo, M.D., AHA chief physician executive and president of the AHA’s Health Research & Educational Trust. “From using artificial intelligence to reduce patient falls and improve staff well-being to developing programs that train the next generation of age-friendly care leaders, hospitals are leading a transformation that is urgent and essential.” Read more here.

The American Hospital Association's (AHA) Healthier Together Conference Opens Call for Content

The American Hospital Association is accepting content proposals for its 2027 Healthier Together Conference, taking place May 4-6, 2027 in Anaheim, Calif.

Submit a proposal by Aug. 31 for the chance to speak to an engaged audience seeking practical tips for improving health outcomes. Learn more about the five content areas, submission process and more here.

Caring for Wisconsin's Caregivers    

Registration is limited. Don't miss this opportunity!

Register Now for WHA’s Inaugural Caring for Wisconsin’s Caregivers Workforce Well-Being Summit

Join leaders from across the state on September 10, 2026, in Sun Prairie for WHA's inaugural Caring for Wisconsin’s Caregivers: Workforce Well-being Summit, a day focused on practical strategies to improve caregiver well-being, workforce retention, organizational culture and patient care outcomes.

Organizations across Wisconsin are facing increasing demands, and retaining talented employees has become a strategic priority. This summit will focus on practical, evidence-based strategies to help organizations strengthen cultures of belonging where people want to stay, grow and thrive.

The summit will feature nationally recognized workforce well-being experts, including Gaurava Agarwal, MD, Vice President and Chief Wellness Executive at Northwestern Medicine, and Stef Simmons, MD, Chief Medical Officer at the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation. Drawing on real-world experience and national best practices, these speakers will explore how organizations can move beyond individual resilience programs and build systems that support caregivers at every level of the organization.

Participants will hear practical strategies for:

• Advancing workforce well-being through leadership and culture
• Reducing burnout and improving retention
• Leveraging data to drive meaningful change
• Strengthening workplace systems that support caregivers and improve outcomes

Attendees will also receive an introduction to The Breen Scale™, an evidence-informed organizational assessment developed by the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation. Wisconsin organizations participating in Phase 2 will gain early access to this tool before its national release. The assessment provides customized insights and actionable recommendations to help organizations strengthen the systems and culture that support caregiver well-being.

Organizations are encouraged to attend as a multidisciplinary team. Whether you represent executive leadership, quality and safety, human resources, nursing, operations, informatics or frontline care teams, this summit will provide practical tools and a shared framework for advancing workforce well-being across your organization.

This summit offers an unparalleled opportunity to learn from national leaders, connect with peers and help shape the future of caregiver well-being in Wisconsin.

Summit Details

Date: September 10, 2026

Time: 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Location: Hilton Garden Inn Madison–Sun Prairie

Register here.

Contact WHA Chief Quality Officer Nadine Allen with questions.

Superior Health Quality Alliance    

CMS 13th Scope of Work Enrollment Ends Soon

The enrollment deadline for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 13th Scope of Work (SOW) is August 27.

The CMS 13th SOW focuses on improving outcomes in chronic disease management, patient safety, behavioral health, care coordination and more, helping hospitals strengthen quality of care and reduce preventable harm. Enroll now to join this initiative and receive free technical assistance, valuable resources and support in these areas and more.

To enroll, please use this enrollment link to begin the process.

Please contact Casey Zimpel with enrollment questions or for more information.

This initiative is aligned with CMS Overall Hospital Star Ratings and Value-Based Purchasing programs, supporting hospitals in improving quality, safety and performance outcomes.

WHA is a member of the Superior Health Quality Alliance (Superior Health), an eight-partner organization focused on improving care for Medicare beneficiaries. They collaborate with patients, clinicians, healthcare organizations and communities across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin to support the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) quality improvement objectives.