Clinical Excellence Vision Awards FAQs
Are the Clinical Excellence Vision Awards open to everyone?
The Vision Awards are open to providers (physicians, advanced practice, nurses, etc.) and clinical teams who are employed or aligned with CommonSpirit Health. Nominees provide direct clinical care, impact clinical care, or are part of a program that does (such as operations or finance).
Are there individual and team awards?
Yes. Nominations are open to individuals and teams. Individual nominations include staff members, clinical teams, leaders, physicians, advanced practice providers and nurses. Teams are recognized in nomination based categories (Compassion, Innovation, Inspiration) and metric based categories such as Quality and Patient Experience.
How many awards categories are in the Vision Awards?
The Innovation, Compassion and Inspiration award categories will be awarded to one physician/advance practive provider, one individual (staff member or leader) and one team/department (if nominated) per region. System employees are included as their own region and are encouraged to participate.
The Patient Experience and Quality award categories use quantitative data to determine winners. Nominations will not be collected for these two award categories.
The Academic Excellence awards will recognize submitted publications. Publications will be reviewed by a committee composed of national, regional and academic partner leaders using a standard review format. The categories and number of academic winners varies by year.
I’m a system employee, can I still be nominated?
Yes. System employees can be nominated for the Compassion, Innovation and Inspiration categories and are eligible to win regional and overall award recognition.
Who do I contact if I have questions?
Please email all inquiries to VisionAwards@commonspirit.org
I would like to be involved in the program. How do I volunteer?
Thank you for your enthusiasm and support! Please email VisionAwards@commonspirit.org and we’ll provide you with more details on volunteer opportunities and how to get involved.
Is there a time limit on achievements that I can nominate my colleague for?
Achievements, projects, or demonstrations of Compassion, Innovation and Inspiration considered for these awards should have taken place within the last 12-18 months.
Can I nominate anyone or do I have to have a direct working relationship with the nominee?
You are encouraged to nominate any colleague, team or provider, who you believe exemplifies the spirit of the Vision Awards, regardless of their reporting structure or department. You don’t need to have a direct working relationship with the nominee, you just need to be familiar with their work.
What makes a strong nomination for the Compassion, Innovation, & Inspiration awards?
A strong nomination clearly articulates the nominee's impact, provides specific examples and demonstrates how their actions align with the core definition of the award category. Quantifiable results or qualitative testimonials are highly encouraged. Focus on the impact on patients, colleagues and the broader organization.
Can I nominate myself?
Yes, self-nominations are accepted for the Compassion, Innovation and Inspiration categories. Please ensure your nomination clearly describes your impact as it relates to the scope of the award category.
How do I nominate a colleague?
Simply visit the Vision Awards website at commonspirit.org/clinical-excellence-vision-awards to review and select a nomination category. Click on the icon for your selected category to begin. Complete and submit the form to finish the nomination process. Only nominations submitted through the nomination forms will be considered.
What is the criteria for the nomination-driven awards?
There are three nomination-driven awards: Compassion, Innovation and Inspiration.
Inspired by faith - Recognizing an action/behavior that is closely aligned with our vision and positively impacts, directly or indirectly, patient care in unique ways. “Inspired by faith” draws on the deep faith of our founding congregations as well as the faith of the thousands of employees and millions of patients and families who entrust their health care to us every day.
Driven by Innovation - Recognizing the innovative workflows, methods, ideas, technology adoption or product that improves clinical care. We broadly define innovation as a new mindset/method/idea/product/etc. that accelerates our vision and positively impacts patients, directly or indirectly across our ministry.
Powered by our Humanity - Recognizing impactful displays of empathy and humankindness. We broadly define compassion as impactful demonstrations of empathy and kindness that exemplify and expand our vision and positively impact patients, directly or indirectly across our ministry.
When can I submit my nomination?
Nominations for the Compassion, Innovation and Inspiration open on March 16, 2026, and close at midnight PST on April 10, 2026. After which, nominations will no longer be accepted for the award season
How many awards are available for the nomination awards?
There are a total of 54 nomination-based awards available at the regional level. Each region is able to recognize up to three winners (provider or advanced practice provider, individual, team), per award category. For the purposes of this awards program, system teams are considered a separate region.
Regional winners have an opportunity to advance as an overall winner. A total of nine overall winners across the three award categories will be recognized at the Clinical Excellence Leadership Summit in October.
What happens after a Compassion, Innovation or Inspiration nomination has been submitted?
All nominees are reviewed by Human Resources to ensure the nominee is a current, active employee, they’re in good standing with the organization without any current corrective action, and are not currently serving any type of notice period to leave the organization. The approved nominees move forward to be viewed and scored by judging committees. From these judging bodies, region winners and overall winners will be selected for the Compassion, Innovation and Inspiration awards
How are submitted nominations judged?
All nominations are reviewed by a committee of judges utilizing a standard rubric. Each region has its own judging committee who determine their region winners. All region division winners move on to an overall judging committee. These elevated nominations are then reviewed and overall winners are selected. Judging committees consider and select winners per the following categories: team/department, provider and individual (staff member or leader).
Who are the judges?
Judging committees are composed of physicians/advanced practice providers, senior leaders, senior executive leaders and operational leaders. Regional judging committees will select the winners for these award categories (Compassion, Innovation and Inspiration) per region.
Are submitted nominations shared?
Some regional or overall winner nominations may be shared as part of our recognition and celebration of clinical excellence across the ministry. Please email VisionAwards@commonspirit.org if you have any questions or concerns.
How will the Academic Excellence category awards be structured?
Awards will be based on articles published in peer-reviewed journals from January to December 2025. Manuscripts in "pre-print" status will be accepted. Criteria for selection and award will be based on the potential for the publication to have a direct, relevant, and high-impact effect on clinical care delivery, with a focus on improving care for our patients and communities. All submitted publications will be reviewed by a committee using a standard review format. Note: Only papers either published in a peer reviewed journal or accepted for publishing (pre-print status) in a peer reviewed journal from January to December 2025 will be accepted.
Who can submit an Academic Excellence publication?
We require you to either be the Primary Author, or submit on behalf of the Primary Author.
- Community: open to Physician Enterprise providers across CommonSpirit Health (but not considered academic faculty or do not hold an academic faculty appointment).
- Academic: open to full-time faculty at the Baylor, Creighton, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, and Morehouse School of Medicine. The Physician Enterprise will work with our Academic Partners from the Baylor, Creighton, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, and Morehouse School of Medicine.
- Resident or Fellow Physicians: This year we will again include submissions from Residents and Fellows. Papers will only be accepted from Residents/Fellows who are the Primary Author. These papers must be either published in a peer reviewed journal or accepted for publishing (pre-print status) in a peer reviewed journal prior to graduation. Each Resident/Fellow will be expected to submit under one of the two award categories outlined below and will be eligible for a Residents/Fellows award within each category.
What are the various categories available for Academic Excellence publication submission?
There will be two award categories:
- Clinical Research: Research conducted with human subjects (or on the material of human origin such as tissues, specimens, and cognitive phenomena) for which an investigator (or colleague) directly interacts with human subjects. This area of research includes mechanisms of human disease; therapeutic interventions; clinical trials; development of new technologies; analysis of existing datasets; epidemiologic and behavioral studies; outcomes research and health services research.
- Practice Innovation: Initiatives that focus on:
- Reducing waste in the system (unnecessary testing and treatment or inappropriate setting for care)
- Minimizing harm and/or improving patient safety (radiation exposure, medication side effects)
- Improving patient care through communication (incorporating patient values and concerns into care plans)
- Other digital tools (including Artificial Intelligence)
- Improving caregiver well-being by reducing unnecessary steps in the process of providing and/or documenting care
- Abstracts in this category will primarily be descriptive, but they may also include preliminary data.
What criteria will be used to judge the Academic Excellence Publications?
Submissions will be judged based on the following criteria using a standardized rubric:
- Direct clinical care: addresses an important question or problem that is directly related to clinical care delivery
- Generalizability: offers concepts or theories that are generalizable or transferable to other contexts, people, etc.; has generalizability because of the selection of participants, setting, and educational intervention or materials
- Research design: methods are defined and clearly described, and they are sufficiently detailed to provide transparency or permit the study to be replicated
- Clinical impact: practical significance or theoretical implications are discussed with guidance for future studies offered
- Influencer status: provides guidance that will influence care delivery for large segments of the population across CommonSpirit Health Physician Enterprise
What if I experience technical issues during the nomination process?
If you encounter any technical difficulties while submitting your nomination, please contact VisionAwards@Commonspirit.org immediately with a detailed description of the issue, including screenshots if possible.
When will winners be notified?
Once selected, regional winners will be notified via email by July 2026. Overall winners will be notified via email by September 2026 and nationally announced for recognition at the Clinical Excellence Leadership Summit in October.
Will there be an awards ceremony?
Recognition of regional winners is organized locally. Overall winners will be recognized at the Clinical Excellence Leadership Summit.
Who do I contact if I have questions?
Please email all inquiries to VisionAwards@commonspirit.org.
Nominate a colleague or team today!
Nominations will close for the Compassion, Innovation and Inspiration awards on April 10, 2026. Submissions for the Academic Award close on May 31, 2026.
Awards will be presented at the annual CommonSpirit Health Clinical Excellence Summit in Fall 2026.
