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Primary care clinics in Washington state undergo a second perfect survey

Ambulatory Safety Monitor, May 21, 2003

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Washington state does not require AAAHC accreditation, and the University of Washington Physicians Neighborhood Clinics (UWPN) network does not require it for Medicare reimbursement. However, the six-year-old network elects to go through the survey process to assure patients of its quality of care and service, says Teresa Spellman Gamble, the compliance officer and director of quality improvement, accreditation, and credentialing for the network.

Here are some tips from UWPN about preparing for survey:

- One of the surveyors suggested making emergency drills more interesting by handing cards to staff members before a drill with different scenarios to act out. For example, cards could say staff are in the middle of performing a vasectomy when the fire alarm goes off, or a staff member could receive a card saying he or she is a patient in a wheelchair when the building needs to be evacuated. The staff will start using the scenario cards next month.

- Spellman Gamble created an accreditation education program that actively involves all staff members all year. For example, every month she sends a flyer to employees highlighting one or two of the network's specialties.

- Throughout the month, employees participate in e-mail quizzes related to the topic of the month, and people who answer correctly qualify for random prize drawings. Staff members also play versions of Bingo and Jeopardy! that focus on different accreditation standards. By the end of the year, they've covered all of the new AAAHC standards, she says.

- Each clinic conducts a mock survey annually and receives a grade on how well it complies with the new standards. The mock survey includes facility checks, staff interviews, and documentation reviews, everything that would be part of a AAAHC survey.

- Staff set up detailed action plans after the mock surveys to improve areas that fall short of the standards. "We really try to build accreditation into our way of life, so when it comes to a survey year, there is no mad dash or cramming to get ready," Spellman Gamble says. "When the survey teams actually arrive, it is not a stressful experience."

This week's tip was excerpted from Briefings on Ambulatory Accreditation, a monthly publication that reports on the activities of the ambulatory care accreditors, the JCAHO and the AAAHC. It illustrates exactly what you and your staff need to do to pass a survey and gain accreditation so that your organization is known for quality and can affiliate with other delivery systems. For more information, or to subscribe, click here.

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