WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Health Care Association (AHCA) named Vivian, PhD, and Mary Tellis-Nayak, RN, MSN, MPH, the 2013 recipients of the Mary K. Ousley Champion of Quality award. The couple's devotion to long term care has played a strong and successful role with My InnerView by National Research Corporation and is evident through their research, publications, and speaking engagements.

Vivian, Senior Research Advisor for the My InnerView products, is renowned for his long term care research that has taken the quality of nursing home care to new heights. Among his dozens of articles, his journal article for The Gerontologist takes an anthropological approach of the nurse assistant's life inside and outside of the workplace and determines how that plays a role in the quality of the resident's life.

What's more, his article in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association looks at how the workplace nursing home managers create affect a facility that is aspiring to become a patient-centered environment. His slogan "good quality equals good business" has resonated well in the long term care and senior living professions.

Mary, the Vice President of Quality Initiatives for My InnerView by National Research, is a passionate advocate for the front-line employee and shares how strong employee morale is directly correlated to a higher quality of life for long term care and senior living residents. In addition, Mary is a strong proponent of the My InnerView Employee Satisfaction Survey.

"I always say if you care for your staff, they will care for your residents," said Mary.

The couple plays an integral role in the development of My InnerView surveys and reports, and they are currently in the process of leading an initiative to enhance its suite of resident and family experience instruments.

Vivian commented on receiving the award.

"We feel gratified by the honor that AHCA has bestowed upon us. We feel particularly satisfied that this recognition comes from our colleagues—the experts in long term care and senior living, and the guardians of quality," said Vivian.
Mary added.
"Vivian and I began our careers as educators. When I became a nurse, he began to focus his teaching and research on healthcare, gerontology and ultimately long term care," said Mary. "As we have shared our lives and professions, it is fitting that we share the award. We are thrilled and deeply honored."

AHCA presents the Mary K. Ousley Champion of Quality award to an individual or organization that has made a significant national contribution to advancing quality performance in the long term care profession. In addition, the individual or organization must provide leadership in the development, promotion, and implementation of quality improvement initiatives. To learn more about this award, click here.

Vivian and Mary have one son and two grandchildren, ages seven and five, and had 17 foster children. They will be presented the award at the AHCA and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) 64th Annual Convention & Expo in Phoenix, Arizona, this October.

My InnerView products by National Research represent the true voice of long term care and senior living residents, families, and employees with the most insightful quality measurement solutions and satisfaction surveys in the healthcare continuum. My InnerView programs are the premier solutions to help improve quality, resident and family experiences, and employee engagement for skilled nursing homes, assisted living communities, continuing care retirement communities, and independent living communities.

About National Research Corporation
For more than 30 years, National Research Corporation (NASDAQ: NRCIA|NRCIB) has been at the forefront of patient-centered care. Today, the company's focus on empowering customer-centric healthcare across the continuum extends patient-centered care to incorporate families, communities, employees, senior housing residents, and other stakeholders. National Research's healthcare analytics products and solutions identify a path to better quality outcomes and patient experiences for home health agencies.

Recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the largest patient satisfaction firms in the U.S., National Research is dedicated to representing the true voice of patients and other healthcare stakeholders. This integration of cross-continuum metrics and analytics uncovers insights for effective performance improvement, quality measurement, care transitions, and many other factors that impact population health management.

National Research is headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. For more information, call 800-388-4264, write to info@nationalresearch.com, or visit www.nationalresearch.com.