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.
- 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.
- Include Continuous Survey Readiness in each Senior Leader and Manager job description and performance appraisal —it’s about accountability.
- Communicate WHY! Communicate the importance of providing safe, effective patient care. Never say, “Because they say we have to do it this way”.
- 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.
- 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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