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Test and retest your unannounced survey readiness

Briefings on The Joint Commission, July 1, 2006

This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Briefings on The Joint Commission.

Notebooks, escorts, and other survey readiness strategies

After reading this article, you will be able to

1. -describe two types of notebooks that can be kept for survey readiness

2. -determine how many people to include on a survey team so no one is afraid to take time off

3. -define the role of a scribe

4. -explain why it is important to include all departments in survey readiness planning

It's one thing to think that you're ready for JCAHO surveyors to arrive tomorrow morning; it's another to practice being ready for them to arrive.

At Northwest Medical Center in Tucson, AZ, Director of Risk Management Annette Vince wants no surprises when survey day finally comes. So she has tested and tweaked her 300-bed hospital's survey readiness with two large-scale mock surveys. "And we'll keep testing it," says Vince, who's in charge of survey prep.

Survey readiness notebooks

Northwest Medical developed two types of continually updated notebooks that are ready to use as soon as surveyors arrive.

One notebook that Vince manages contains all of the information that surveyors need upon arrival (e.g., an organizational chart and data sets outlined in the JCAHO's Survey Activity Guides thatall accredited organizations receive).

This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Briefings on The Joint Commission.

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