NAHQ at 50: New Offerings for Today's Quality, Safety, and Financial Pressures

For 50 years, NAHQ has led the evolution of healthcare quality, and new, expanded offerings reflect leadership in action

CHICAGO, March 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) is marking its 50th anniversary by advancing the next chapter of healthcare quality and safety, introducing an expanded, integrated ecosystem designed to support the healthcare workforce through competency‑based continuous development.

For five decades, NAHQ has served as the professional home for healthcare quality by establishing and maintaining the industry-standard Healthcare Quality Competency Framework™ and advancing quality and safety as a profession and discipline.

As healthcare organizations face growing workforce strain, regulatory complexity and cost pressures, and a demand for measurable patient and financial outcomes, NAHQ's anniversary year reflects an opportunity to reaffirm our urgent commitment to equip professionals and organizations with the necessary resources designed to meet today's quality, safety and financial imperatives.

"In today's rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, the importance of workforce preparedness cannot be overstated. As we transition into an era defined by digital quality measurement, interoperability supported by AI and real-time improvement, it is crucial that our workforce is equipped with the necessary competencies to interpret, operationalize and act with evolving capabilities," said Stephanie Mercado, CEO of NAHQ. "As we mark 50 years, NAHQ is prepared to support healthcare leaders and the workforce – to ensure quality is leveraged as an enterprise‑wide responsibility and a powerful force for change. That's the power of Q, and the power of NAHQ."

NAHQ's offerings together form a unified ecosystem for healthcare quality:

• An enhanced NAHQ Healthcare Quality Competency Framework™, the industry‑validated standard defining quality competencies that anchors all NAHQ initiatives, including Workforce Accelerator, Micro-Credentials and the only certification in healthcare quality, The Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ). The Framework enhancements provide a new, modern visualization and updated content that defines the evolving skills necessary to enable individuals and organizations to better advance safety, equitable care and patient‑centered outcomes.
  
  
• NAHQ‑U, a new centralized learning and experience destination that provides healthcare professionals with comprehensive resources for professional development in quality and safety. It offers validated expert educational content through structured learning pathways aligned to the Healthcare Quality Competency Framework™ and personalized to meet individual learning objectives.
  
  
• New NAHQ Membership packages provide professionals and organizations with flexible options to meet evolving professional development needs with a wide range of expert‑created resources for competency‑based learning, credentialing, industry intelligence, and career advancement through NAHQ‑U.
  
  
• NAHQ Micro‑Credentials, are a growing portfolio of training programs that offer focused learning in the individual domains of the NAHQ Healthcare Quality Competency Framework™. Each training program offers real-world cases and practical tools that can be used on the job immediately. Three new micro-credentials launch in 2026, including Patient Safety, Regulatory & Accreditation and Quality Review and Accountability. Two Micro-Credentials, Health Data Analytics and Performance and Process Improvement, are already in market.
  
  
• A new Brand Campaign that helps educate the industry about how quality, safety and investment in workforce development are powerful levers to meet today's healthcare challenges and mandates.

As NAHQ celebrates its 50th anniversary, the enhanced Healthcare Quality Competency Framework™, Micro‑Credentials, NAHQ‑U, new membership model, and brand campaign support a continuous, competency‑based journey for individuals and scalable workforce solutions for organizations. Together, these initiatives drive healthcare excellence – to improve healthcare today and shape the future of healthcare tomorrow.

To learn more about NAHQ's 50th anniversary and its expanded ecosystem, visit www.nahq.org.

About NAHQ
The National Association for Healthcare Quality® (NAHQ) is the global authority advancing healthcare Quality & Safety across the healthcare continuum. NAHQ sets the industry standard for healthcare Quality & Safety competencies through its Healthcare Quality Competency Framework™. This expert-developed, data-driven, continuously validated Framework defines the knowledge, skills, and behaviors required to achieve measurable clinical Quality & Safety and financial outcomes that deliver on healthcare excellence. NAHQ helps individuals and organizations activate the Framework through education, workforce development solutions, industry-leading insights, and the only accredited certification in healthcare quality, the Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality® (CPHQ). 

NAHQ supports hundreds of organizations and a powerful professional community to advance a shared vision for strong Quality workforces and cultures.

Learn more at NAHQ.org

Media Contact:
Evelyn Warren
704-488-7690
[email protected]

SOURCE National Association For Healthcare Quality