Terms of Use — Inside the Quality Awards

Effective Date: September 8, 2026

Welcome to Inside the Quality Awards, operated by Ralph Peterson LLC, doing business as Ralph Peterson Management Services (“we,” “us,” or “our”).

These Terms of Use govern your access to and use of the Inside the Quality Awards website, courses, videos, educational materials, books, workbooks, downloads, and related services.

By creating an account, purchasing a product or course, or accessing our services, you agree to these Terms of Use.

Educational Purpose

Inside the Quality Awards provides educational resources, training, and guidance related to the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program and related performance-excellence concepts.

Our courses and materials are intended to help participants better understand Quality Award criteria and develop their own applications.

Participation in an Inside the Quality Awards course, workshop, consulting program, or other service does not guarantee that an organization will receive a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Quality Award.

Award decisions are made independently by AHCA/NCAL and its designated examiners and processes. Inside the Quality Awards and Ralph Peterson do not control those decisions.

Independent Program

Inside the Quality Awards is an independent educational and consulting program operated by Ralph Peterson LLC.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Inside the Quality Awards is not owned, operated, sponsored, or endorsed by AHCA/NCAL, the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, NIST, or any other third-party organization whose programs, frameworks, or materials may be discussed.

References to third-party programs and organizations are for educational and informational purposes.

Your Account

When you purchase or enroll in an online program, you may be required to create an individual user account.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for activity occurring through your account.

Course access is provided to the registered user and may not be shared with other individuals unless your purchase specifically provides for multiple users.

Please do not share your username, password, course access, or login credentials with coworkers, colleagues, other facilities, or other organizations.

Intellectual Property

Unless otherwise indicated, the original content provided through Inside the Quality Awards—including videos, instructional materials, worksheets, templates, books, workbooks, graphics, presentations, written explanations, and other original educational materials—is owned by or licensed to Ralph Peterson LLC and is protected by applicable intellectual-property laws.

Your purchase gives you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use the materials for the purposes associated with your enrollment or purchase.

You may not, without prior written permission:

• Copy or reproduce course materials for distribution;
• Share digital materials with individuals who have not purchased or been granted access;
• Upload course materials to shared drives, websites, social-media platforms, artificial-intelligence systems, file-sharing services, or other publicly or privately accessible repositories for use by unauthorized individuals;
• Record, download, reproduce, or redistribute course videos except where a download is specifically provided;
• Resell, sublicense, publish, or commercially distribute our materials;
• Share your course login credentials with others; or
• Use our materials to create or provide a competing training, consulting, or educational product.

You may use the materials for your own learning and, where appropriate, in connection with your organization's own Quality Award work.

Books and Physical Materials

Certain programs may include physical books, workbooks, or other materials.

You are responsible for providing an accurate shipping address. We are not responsible for delays or delivery problems resulting from inaccurate or incomplete information supplied by the purchaser.

Physical materials included with a course are intended for the purchaser and participating organization and may not be reproduced for redistribution or resale.

Course Availability and Updates

We may periodically update course content, videos, resources, or materials to reflect changes in Quality Award criteria, educational practices, technology, or our programs.

We may also modify the organization, presentation, or availability of course content when reasonably necessary.

Payment

Prices are displayed before purchase. By completing a transaction, you authorize the applicable payment processor to charge the payment method you provide.

Payments may be processed through Thinkific Payments and its payment-processing partners or through other payment services we make available.

Refunds

Purchases are subject to our separate Refund Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms of Use by reference.

Please review the Refund Policy before completing your purchase.

Professional Judgment and Application Responsibility

Quality Award applications remain the responsibility of the applicant organization.

Our educational programs, examples, comments, reviews, and recommendations are intended to provide guidance. Participants remain responsible for determining the accuracy and appropriateness of the information included in their applications and for complying with all applicable AHCA/NCAL rules, eligibility requirements, deadlines, and submission requirements.

Participants should always consult the current official Quality Award rules and criteria when preparing an application.

Acceptable Use

You agree not to use our website, courses, or services in a manner that:

• Violates applicable law;
• Interferes with the operation or security of our services;
• Attempts to gain unauthorized access to another user's account;
• Infringes our intellectual-property rights or those of others; or
• Uses our content for unauthorized commercial distribution or reproduction.

Third-Party Platforms and Links

Our programs may use or link to third-party services, websites, platforms, or resources. Those services are governed by their own terms and policies.

We are not responsible for the availability, content, security, or practices of third-party services.

Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability

We work to provide accurate, useful, and practical educational information, but we do not warrant that our services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or suitable for every organization or circumstance.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, Ralph Peterson LLC and Inside the Quality Awards will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from the use of our courses, materials, website, or services.

Nothing in these Terms excludes rights or remedies that cannot legally be excluded.

Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms of Use periodically. Updated Terms will be posted on our website with a revised effective date.

Continued use of our services after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms to the extent permitted by law.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, except where applicable law requires otherwise.

Contact

Questions regarding these Terms of Use may be directed to:

Ralph Peterson LLC
d/b/a Ralph Peterson Management Services
Inside the Quality Awards
Email: [email protected]