“Health Care Stars!” Awards Program – Nominations due Monday, June 15, 2009
To access the online nomination form click here
This year, we are adding an inspiring new aspect to the Quality Summit…URAC’s “Health Care Stars!” Awards Program. For the first time, URAC will honor those health care professionals who directly impact the lives of consumers they serve. Individuals who choose to work in health care have a rare dedication to improving the lives of others. These exceptional people are found doing great work to protect and empower health care consumers across the globe. There are a select few who do more than their job duties require. We all know at least one star – someone who has shown fortitude and leadership, who has constantly risen above his or her daily duties to improve someone’s life. Join us in paying tribute to these individuals at URAC’s 10th Annual Quality Summit and Exhibit scheduled for October 6-8, 2009 in Tucson, AZ.
URAC is delighted to announce a Call for Nominations for the 2009 “Health Care Stars!” Awards Program. We encourage you to search out the stars at URAC-Accredited and Accreditation-In-Process Companies who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to directly impact the lives of the consumers they serve. Acknowledge their outstanding contributions by submitting a nomination for this new awards program before the deadline, Monday, June 15, 2009. To access the online nomination form click here.
ELIGIBILITY
In order to be eligible for the URAC “Health Care Stars!” Awards Program (the "Awards Program "), nominees must work for a URAC-accredited (or in-process) company and some portion of the nominee’s activities must have taken place between January 1, 2008 and April 30, 2009 or be ongoing. Individuals can self-nominate.
At any time, URAC, in its sole discretion, may deem a nominee to be ineligible for nomination or participation in the Awards Program. Neither URAC employees nor Board Members nor Award Judges nor any of their immediate family members are eligible to participate as nominees in the Awards Program or submit nominations. URAC and the sponsors of the Awards Program shall herein be collectively referred to as the "Sponsors".
CATEGORIES
URAC is searching for unheralded heroes “Health Care Stars!”, individuals who have gone beyond the call of duty -- people driven to exceptional achievement in service to others and who have demonstrated a dramatic impact in improving and saving lives.
You can nominate your Health Care Stars! in one of two categories:
1) Consumer Protection (Patient Safety)
An individual who demonstrated commitment to the welfare of health care consumers (e.g. saving and improving lives, preventing adverse health outcomes, etc.).
2) Consumer Empowerment
An individual who contributed to enhancing consumer decision making and/or enhancing consumer health care adherence to appropriate therapy.
CRITERIA
To submit your nomination for the Awards Program log on to http://webapps.urac.org/uracstars/login.asp and complete the online nomination form providing all required information including contact information for you and your nominee. Nominations must include a short description of their Star or Stars explaining:
Accomplishment--Why does your nominee deserve recognition as an individual URAC Health Care Star? What was your nominee's specific accomplishment and what was involved in achieving it? (200 word maximum)
Impact--How have your nominee's efforts made a difference for the better for consumers? (100 word maximum)
Event--Is there a specific incident or turning point that motivated your nominee to take action? Has this turn of events also inspired others? (100 word maximum)
Unique--Is there anything else that makes your nominee exceptional or unique? Is there anything else that makes your nominee’s contribution exceptional or unique? (100 word maximum)
Nominations MUST be submitted via the designated online form. Mail-in nominations will not be accepted. Nominations may be submitted beginning May 1, 2009 and must be received no later than 5:00 PM Eastern June 15, 2009. Nominations must be submitted in English. Nominations may only be submitted in the name of a single person; group nominations are not acceptable.
URAC will verify the factual basis of the descriptions and may request substantiating information from nominees or others. URAC reserves the right to request and require additional information from nominees in order to have their nomination considered. False, deceptive or unsubstantiated nominations or acts may render a nominee ineligible. All nomination forms become the property of URAC and will not be returned. URAC reserves the right to edit the information provided in the nomination form as it sees fit for use in publication or promotion. By submitting a nomination form you agree to grant URAC the right without obligation, unless prohibited by law, to use the contents of your nomination, your name, voice, picture and likeness, without compensation, for the purpose of advertising and publicizing all matters related to the Awards Program and/or the URAC in any medium.
JUDGING
The judging process will commence in June 2009 and be completed in July 2009. If more than one nomination is received for a particular nominee, URAC, in its sole discretion may consider any of the nominations for that individual in the judging process. Nominees cannot serve as Awards Judges.
All eligible nominations received will be judged by a panel of health care industry experts including URAC advisory committee members, board members, and clients who will select winners of the “Health Care Stars!” Awards from among the nominees under consideration. The number of winners selected may vary depending upon the number of nominees and the determinations of the panels of Judges. The decisions of the Judges will be final and binding and are not subject to appeal or reconsideration of any kind.
NOTIFICATION AND RECOGNITION
URAC plans to notify the winners of the “Health Care Stars!” Awards in August 2009, and invite them to attend the 10th Annual Quality Summit and Exhibit scheduled for October 6-8, 2009 in Tucson, AZ to receive their recognition in person during an awards ceremony. URAC will cover hotel, travel and conference registration for the individual award winners. In addition, all nominees will be honored at the Quality Summit.
All award winners will be required to sign an agreement granting URAC the right without obligation, unless prohibited by law, to use the contents of your nomination, your name, voice, picture and likeness, without compensation, for the purpose of advertising and publicizing all matters related to the Awards Program and/or the URAC in any medium as well as other release documents as provided for below.
PUBLICATION
Award winners and any nominee to be featured online may be required to sign an affidavit verifying their eligibility in this Awards Program including, but not limited to, liability releases, and except where prohibited by law, use of name and likeness releases and other materials as may be required by URAC ("Release Documents") and return such documents within seven (7) days of issuance of notification. Execution of the Release Documents will grant Sponsors the right, unless prohibited by law, to use the names, voices, likenesses, and any of the material provided by them or about them without compensation, for the purpose of advertising and publicizing the services of the Sponsors, all matters related to the Awards Program in any medium.
GENERAL
URAC reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Awards Program. Sponsors assume no responsibility for any error, omissions, interruption, deletion, defect or delay in operation with transmission, communications, line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to or allegation of submissions. Sponsors are not responsible for any problem or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, equipment or software, failure of any email or entry to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, phone lines, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to a participant's computer related to or resulting from participation in this Contest. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY A NOMINEE OR OTHERS TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE AWARDS PROGRAM IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSORS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
Sponsors are not responsible for any late, lost, garbled, misdirected, incomplete, or damaged entries; any disruptions, injuries, losses or damages caused by events beyond the control of Sponsors; or any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the Awards Program. The Awards Program Entities are not in any way responsible or liable for the use of the funds donated or for any damage, loss or injury (including death) resulting from participation in the Awards Program and/or acceptance and use of any awards won.