James M. Berklan, McKnight's Editor

If it were the stock market, the climb would indicate a lot of people becoming quite wealthy. Instead, its significant rise will have to settle for merely making a lot of people more healthy.

I’m talking about the Advancing Excellence in American’s Nursing Homes program, where providers volunteer to pursue better performance goals and use certain methods to do so. Now in its sixth year, the program recently welcomed its 9,000th operator into the fold.

That’s nearly 60% of all nursing homes out there. That isn’t just Advancing Excellence. That’s excellence advancing.

What’s more, some people don’t realize the campaign isn’t only about making the resident experience healthier and more enjoyable. It also aims to improve staff members’ well-being. Resources and experts are available to make it possible for virtually anyone.

Advancing Excellence — or AdvEx, as I call it for short — is trending upward. The key question for providers not taking part yet is simply: Why aren’t you?