There are 5,564 registered Hospitals in the U.S. with 897,961 staffed beds (AHA 2015) – and they are all surveyed by someone! Wow! That’s a lot of surveying.

So, how are you doing on your surveys?

Great – No problems!

OK – but it’s a struggle!

Not so good – lots of deficiencies!

Involving the whole organization in continuous survey readiness is ideal, we all know that of course, but how do we get there? Here’s 5 steps to consider.

1. Senior Leaders set the tone. If the Senior Leaders of the organization believe that Continuous Survey Readiness is important – and communicate that importance – the organization will follow.
2. Include Continuous Survey Readiness in each Senior Leader and Manager job description and performance appraisal —it’s about accountability.
3. Communicate WHY! Communicate the importance of providing safe, effective patient care. Never say, “Because they say we have to do it this way”.
4. Start a Continuous Survey Readiness Committee to stay up-to-date on standards and communicate to the organization. Newsletters that focus on specific standards each month are a great way to communicate to the organization.
5. Don’t forget non-clinical departments. Hospitals are a complex, multi-faceted organism and sometimes we forget the importance of the many support staff who make things run smoothly. They are a part of the team – and although many standards are specific to clinical staff – find innovative ways to help support staff understand and comply with standards as well.

Five tips for engaging the organization. I hope these were helpful.
If you have innovative ways of ensuring “Continuous Survey Readiness” – we would love to hear about it.

Author: Carolyn St.Charles, RN, BSN, MBA, Regional Chief Clinical Officer

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