Blog 4

Facts about the Unannounced Survey Process

The article I read this week was from The Joint Commission website was entitled Facts about the Unannounced Survey Process. As we all know, The Joint Commission is infamous for their unannounced surveys. There are several reasons why they might pop-in on your organization such as to help you focus on providing safe, high quality care and to affirm the expectation of continuous compliance.

An organization that is scheduled for a survey is usually given 18-39 months notice. To me this seems like enough time to get your ducks in a row, unless your organization has a 60% delinquency rate. One thing that surprised me was that JCAHO posts the biographies and pictures of the surveyors assigned to your facility on their website the morning of your survey. This would be useful because the key employees targeted for the survey could better recognize the surveyor and not be caught off guard.

Another thing pointed out were the few exceptions to unannounced surveys. I know that all organizations wished they fit into one of the following categories: initial survey, first surveys for organization that choose the Early Survey Policy option, or Periodic Performance Review Option 2 and Option 3 surveys. This would allow the organization to better prepare because they would know farther in advance the survey was approaching. However, all hospital and CMS deeming or recognition surveys are unannounced.

I also thought that allowing organizations the ability to identify up to 10 days in which unannounced surveys should be avoided was a positive component of the survey process. Despite the privilege to identify these days, JCAHO has the right to conduct the survey during an “avoid day”. I enjoyed this article because it shed some light on some aspects surrounding JCAHO’s survey process.

http://www.jointcommission.org/AccreditationPrograms/unannounced.htm?print=yes

20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors in Children

The quality tool I selected this week discussed medical errors in children. This caught my eye because my nephew and both nieces have been sick lately. We have all heard of the IOM’s report, To Err is Human, which pointed out that an upwards of 100,000 unnecessary medical errors occur each year. This number, however, was in 1999; so imagine the figures today. The goal of this tool was to point out that most medical errors result from problems created in today’s complex health system, and to equip parents’ with the necessary tools to help prevent them. If you are interested in learning more about the 20 tips to preventing medical errors in children, please click on the link below.

http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/20tipkid.htm

Classmate Pick of the Week

This week I reviewed Tammi’s blog about what to do when getting a prescription. I agree that it is important to be involved in your healthcare. As HIM professionals, we should be advocating for PHRs and encouraging others to take charge of their health. I also agree that it is important to relay any medications you are taking. A provider needs to know this information so he/she does not prescribe something that could potentially interact with your current medications. I recently visited my PCP and his nurse did not ask if I was currently taking any medications. He was upset when he discovered she was not documenting this information. Therefore, it is your responsibility, as the patient, to provide this information even when you’re not asked. Another point Tammi made was to always check your prescriptions at the pharmacy. My sister experienced getting a prescription for her daughter with no dosage on it. This caused her have to call the pharmacy and request this information. If she would have checked the prescriptions before she left, she would not have had to call.