Golden Living's National Director of Quality Named Chair of the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Board of Overseers

PLANO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Golden Living announced today that its National Director of Quality, Ed McMahon, Ph.D., has been named Chair of the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) National Quality Award Board of Overseers for a two-year term.

“Ed shares the goals of the committee to continuously improve quality standards in long-term care settings.”

“AHCA/NCAL is extremely pleased to see Ed McMahon elected to the 2013 Board of Overseers,” said Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “Ed’s years of experience and passion for quality in long-term care will bring a renewed energy to our ongoing quality efforts. His selection by peers is a true testament to his leadership and commitment to quality care.”

McMahon was part of the initial AHCA Quality Committee that developed the Quality Award Program based on the core values and criteria of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program more than 18 years ago. Since then, McMahon has continued to serve on various quality committees. He also served as an original, senior, and master examiner for the award program. He has more than 33 years of experience in the long-term care profession including Alzheimer’s care development, research and development, sales and marketing, and corporate operations.

He is a pioneer in the development of special care units within skilled nursing facilities. He also designed and developed the first Alzheimer’s care unit within a skilled nursing facility in California.

“Ed’s impressive qualifications in the world of long-term care, combined with his commitment to quality improvement, make him an exceptional choice for this important position,” said Neil Kurtz, M.D., President and CEO of Golden Living. “We congratulate Ed on this honor from his peers to serve as Chair of the Board of Overseers.”

The 11-member Board of Overseers establishes the award criteria and appropriate policies and procedures to administer, promote, and preserve the credibility of the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Awards. The Quality Awards are the industry’s highest honor in the commitment to continuous quality improvement for long-term care services.

“His passion and dedication to quality care for the elderly shows in his work and service with AHCA/NCAL,” adds Andi Clark, Senior Vice President Clinical Services for Golden Living. “Ed shares the goals of the committee to continuously improve quality standards in long-term care settings.”

Other responsibilities of the Board of Overseers are to evaluate all aspects of the program and how it achieves its mission. The Board of Overseers also produces an annual report for the AHCA/NCAL Board of Governors.

McMahon is one of Golden Living’s leaders committed to quality. In the pursuit of sustained quality healthcare, Golden Living has earned a total of 213 AHCA/NCAL Bronze, Silver, and Gold Quality Awards since 2006. This number includes last year’s recognition of Golden LivingCenter - Continental Manor, a skilled nursing facility, with a Gold Quality Award.

About Golden Living (www.goldenliving.com)

Golden Living is a family of companies that specialize in recovery care. Its mission is to help people recover health and improve quality of life through a network of healthcare services, including rehab, home care, assisted living, skilled nursing care, pharmacy, and hospice. The Golden Living family of companies include Golden LivingCenters, Aegis Therapies, AseraCare, AlixaRx, and 360 Healthcare Staffing. There are more than 300 Golden LivingCenters in 21 states. Golden Living also offers assisted living services at more than 30 locations. In addition, the Golden Living companies provide services to more than 1,000 nursing homes, hospitals and other healthcare organizations in 40 states and the District of Columbia. Collectively, the Golden Living family of companies has more than 42,000 employees who provide quality healthcare to more than 60,000 patients every day.

About AHCA/NCAL

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represent more than 11,000 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers and homes for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. By delivering solutions for quality care, AHCA/NCAL aims to improve the lives of the millions of frail, elderly and individuals with disabilities who receive long term or post-acute care in our member facilities each day. For more information, please visit www.ahca.org or www.ncal.org.