Nancy Miracle Appointed Examiner for 2007 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

DALLAS – May 18, 2007– Nancy Miracle, RN of Phoenix Health Systems located in Richardson, TX, has been appointed by William Jeffrey, Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to the 2007 Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.  The Award, created by public law in 1987, is the highest level of national recognition for performance excellence that a U.S. organization can receive.

As an examiner, Ms. Miracle is responsible for reviewing and evaluating applications submitted for the Award.  The board is composed of approximately 500 leading experts selected from industry, professional and trade organizations, education and health care organizations and government.

Those selected meet the highest standards of qualification and peer recognition.  All members of the board must take part in a preparation course based on the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and the scoring and evaluation processes for the Baldrige Award.

Awards may be given annually in each of six categories: Manufacturing, Service, Small Business, Education, Health Care, and Non-profit (new for 2007).  Awards have been presented to 69 organizations, including the (2006) Award recipients: Premier Inc., MESA Products, Inc., and North Mississippi Medical Center.

Information about the Baldrige National Quality Program and the application process is available from the Baldrige National Quality Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Administration  Bldg., Room A600, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 1020, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1020, telephone: 301/975-2036, fax: 301/948-3716.  Information also can be found on the Baldrige National Quality Program's website at http://www.baldrige.nist.gov.

The Award Program is managed by NIST, a program of the Commerce Department's Technology Administration, in close cooperation with the private sector.  The American Society for Quality (ASQ) in Milwaukee, WI, administers the program.  For further information about Nancy Miracle and Phoenix Health Systems contact 513-523-2398.  For further information about the Baldrige Award, reporters may contact Michael E. Newman, NIST Public Affairs Office, 301-975-3025, michael.newman@nist.gov.

About Phoenix Health Systems

Phoenix is a national Information Technology and business process services provider offering an integrated set of professional and technical services to healthcare organizations. Through Strategic Consulting, IT Outsourcing and Revenue Cycle Management, Phoenix will help any healthcare organization achieve its long-term objectives of administrative cost reduction, increased cash flow, improved patient safety and regulatory compliance. For additional information, please contact Chris Madeira at (240) 912-1500, or visit www.phoenixhealth.com.