American Society for Quality
 Section 0904 - East Central Indiana
PO Box 3147  Muncie, IN 47307-1147
www.asq904.org
The source of Quality Professionalism in East Central Indiana

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Wednesday, April 19, 2006
to be held at the
Sirloin Stockade
North West corner of McGalliard and Morrison Roads
Across the street from the Muncie Wal-Mart
4949 W Hessler Rd, Muncie, IN      Phone:(765) 287-9051
Click here for direction to the Sirloin Stockade

About the Program:
Our main speaker will be Gary Marshall, Risk Management Officer for First Merchants Corporation.  Gary will be speaking on reliability, accuracy, and electronic security in banking and will include emergency contingency plans.

About our Speaker:
Gary is the vice president and risk management officer at First Merchants Corporation. He is also the corporate coordinator of business continuity planning at First Merchants. He has a BS in accounting from Ball State University and completed Graduate School of Banking at University of Wisconsin – Madison.    

Pre-Clinic:
Our pre-clinic speaker is Tony Johnson of the Anderson Police Department.  Tony will be speaking on Emergency Awareness and Preparedness.

Section Chair Letter
ASQ0904
April 10, 2006

Letter from the Chair:

Last month I announced that ASQ Section 904 received the Silver Level award for 2004 -2005 for Section Excellence by our national headquarters and was one of only 36 sections nationwide to receive this award. Well, HQ recalculated the data and we now have been awarded the GOLD Level. As was mentioned at the March meeting this is extremely difficult achievement because two of the categories that need to be attained have to do with membership and fulfilling member's needs. A big THANK YOU to all members of Section 0904 for you support and cooperation.

Last Dinner meeting it was my pleasure to speak about Problem Solving. The presentation ended with a discussion about a problem I called "The Vats". We left without a recap and following some further conversations, it was clearly evident that some slides that were left out for brevity needed to be re-inserted into the presentation. It was suggested by our Leadership Committee that the Powerpoint presentation be available on the 904 web site along with the points made during the discussion. I am forwarding it to Bob Cooper for his insertion onto the web site.

Well what else is happening with quality and our section? This month's speaker will be Gary Marshall for First Merchants Bank. Gary is Vice President and Risk Management Officer and will speak on reliability, accuracy, and electronic security in banking and will include emergency contingency plans. I think this is a new territory for 904, banking. I think it will be enjoyable. Tony Johnson will be the pre-clinic speaker, and his subject will be Emergency Awareness and Preparedness. Tony is a Police Officer with the Anderson Police Department.

Two articles out of the Healthcare Industry can get one to pay attention. One of the articles points to the very subject that Gary Marshall will touch on, that is, the reliability and accuracy of information. The article (found at http://www.jointcommission.org) regarding the performance data the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), needs to maintain the credibility and reliability of the accreditation process. The Joint Commission's Board also discussed and framed a rationale for receiving case-identified data and the justifications for requiring the transmission of certain protected health information data elements from accredited hospitals. Over the next several months, the Joint Commission staff will seek opportunities to dialogue with senior hospital leaders to correct misperceptions about the Joint Commission's data release and public information policies, and to discuss and receive input regarding the rationale and justification for receiving case-identified data from hospitals. The Board also ap proved the launching of a Joint Commission public policy initiative to address the development of a national strategy for the gathering, preparation, and dissemination of performance data. Also in a related article found at HQ's web site (http://www.asq.org/) concerns a decision by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), a key hospital accreditation body. The pronouncement allows hospitals more violations before they are sanctioned and has been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, saying it represents a loosening of standards that could reduce the quality of hospital care.

Another article was associated with the risk of post by-pass surgery infections. One of the reasons for infections can be the direct result of visits by well wishers and caregivers who, themselves, are ill. A simple common cold or bacteria spread from touch can have deadly results.

Also, a recent poll reveals that while 96 percent of U.S. business leaders think their company's corporate social responsibility behavior will greatly impact the nation's economic future, more than 40 percent still don't have any policy in place to guide their company's actions.

If you haven't been to our web site (http://www. asq904.org) or HQ's (http://www.asq.org/), please visit them. You might find some things of interest, as I did. Some of the articles referenced above were found at the HQ web site.

See you at the Ap ril Dinner Meeting, Wednesday the 19th. The pre-clinic is at 6 PM and the main speaker follows dinner at 7:30 PM.


Section Chair Column by
Steve Zylka, Certified Quality Auditor, and Certifed Quality Engineer
jzylka@sprynet.com
ASQ904 Section Chair and Section Management Chair
  

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