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Compliance with MM.3.20 comes down to following hospital policy for communicating med orders

Accreditation Connection, March 19, 2007

Accurately communicating medication orders is often a weak spot for hospitals during their Joint Commission surveys. MM.3.20 requires hospitals to reduce the number of errors committed during the communication of a medication order. Like many of the most challenging standards, much of complying with MM.3.20 goes back to ensuring that staff practice hospital policy and also making sure that the policy reflects each element outlined in the standard, says Jodi Eisenberg and Elizabeth Di Giacomo-Geffers.

"The real issue here is policy," Di Giacomo-Geffers says. "You have policies, and then if you revise or write any new policies, you need to educate and decide what the most effective method for educating is at your facility."

In addition, part of complying with this standard depends on whether a facility has started using a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system. Many of the legibility and handwriting issues become nonexistent when a CPOE system is installed, although a CPOE system brings its own set of problems.

Access the full story in the March issue of Briefings on The Joint Commission; access is free for subscribers, nonsubscribers can sign up for a 30-day free trial of BOJExtra! or purchase a copy of the story for $10 by clicking here.

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