Vestar Portfolio Company Press Ganey Acquires National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI®)
June 10, 2014, Boston, Massachusetts – Press Ganey announced the acquisition of the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI®), the leading quality improvement and nurse engagement tool developed by the American Nurses Association (ANA) and managed by The University of Kansas School of Nursing. The acquisition strengthens Press Ganey’s ability to empower nurses and nursing leaders in their mission to reduce patient suffering and improve the patient experience.
“Press Ganey is privileged to carry on the quality improvement efforts designed by the ANA and looks forward to expanding the capabilities of this exceptional program,” said Pat Ryan, CEO, Press Ganey. “As we partner with providers to transform the health care system, we remain committed to the role of nursing in advancing the quality of the patient experience and achieving higher quality, more coordinated care.”
NDNQI was founded by ANA and since 2001, has been managed by The University of Kansas School of Nursing. NDNQI promotes nursing excellence through the most robust source of comparative norms in the industry and supports nurse retention through its leading RN survey tool. Used by 2,000 hospitals nationwide, it is the largest provider of unit-level performance data to hospitals. Coupled with Press Ganey’s deep benchmarking data, expansive engagement tools and advanced analytics, the addition of NDNQI will offer more targeted insights into nursing performance to improve the overall patient experience and outcomes.
“ANA has found a partner in Press Ganey that shares its mission of improving patient care through the power of nursing-sensitive data measurement, collection and comparison,” said ANA Chief Executive Officer Marla J. Weston, PhD, RN, FAAN. “This strategic alignment will enhance the power of nursing data, generate even better normative comparisons and allow for expanded linkages to outcomes.”
The NDNQI program is unique in its ability to provide unit-level reporting aligned to nursing-sensitive measures and in compliance with Magnet Recognition Program®requirements to help achieve the highest levels of performance. NDNQI tracks up to 19 nursing-sensitive quality measures, providing actionable insights based on structure, process and outcome data. Health care organizations can use the information to establish organizational goals for improvement, down to the unit level.
“At a time when the health care industry is moving from volume-based care to value-based care, the ability to understand nursing quality indicators and retain valued nursing staff has never been more critical,” said Christy Dempsey, CNO, Press Ganey. “We are pleased to announce the acquisition of NDNQI, as it is the gold standard for nursing quality data and a proven solution that addresses the vital role of nursing in coordinated models of care.”
About NDNQI
NDNQI®is the only national nursing quality measurement program that enables hospitals to compare measures of their nursing quality against national, regional and state norms for hospitals of the same type down to the unit level. Used by 2,000 hospitals nationwide, it is the largest provider of unit-level performance data to hospitals. NDNQI is a program of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and is administered on behalf of ANA by The University of Kansas School of Nursing. Visit the NDNQI website to learn more about the database and how it’s helping hospitals across the U.S. and around the world to track and improve on nursing-sensitive quality measures. For more information, visit, www.ndnqi.org.
Vestar Capital Partners and Goldman Sachs Complete Acquisition of Hearthside Food Solutions
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – June 3, 2014 – Goldman Sachs and Vestar Capital Partners announced today that they have completed their acquisition of Hearthside Food Solutions, the largest independent bakery and contract food manufacturer in North America. The transaction was previously announced on March 19, 2014; terms were not disclosed. Goldman Sachs and Vestar will own equal stakes in the company going forward.
Affiliates of Barclays Capital and Goldman Sachs provided commitments for the debt financing for the transaction. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP acted as the legal advisor to Goldman Sachs and Vestar in this transaction.
About Hearthside Food Solutions
Hearthside Food Solutions, headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, is the nation’s largest independent bakery and a full-service contract manufacturer of high quality, grain-based food and snack products for many of the world’s leading premier brands. Hearthside offers a diverse product portfolio focused on four main platform categories – bars, cookies/crackers, granola/cereals, and snacks. Hearthside operates 20 food-manufacturing facilities in eight states. For more information on Hearthside Food Solutions, visit www.hearthsidefoods.com.