tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post270981900656427037..comments2024-03-26T00:25:34.026-04:00Comments on Not Running a Hospital: The dummies' guide to The Joint CommissionPaul Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065446378970179507noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-48264483678298399572011-03-10T20:03:45.978-05:002011-03-10T20:03:45.978-05:00I believe a previous comment to be correct. The b...I believe a previous comment to be correct. The book is a prep guide for the survey coordinator role in a hospital that is why it is called "The Survey Coordinators Guide..."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-8782293942071534282011-02-25T12:43:59.800-05:002011-02-25T12:43:59.800-05:00I can tell you, as a current Joint Commission empl...I can tell you, as a current Joint Commission employee that:<br />1) This book is not a publication from The Joint Commission. Several companies are in business specifically to "explain" The Joint Commission's standards. Their business model is based on making it seem that the accreditation standards are more complicated than they really are. Whether they "explain" accurately or not is anyone's guess.<br />2) The author is a former executive director -- of the marketing department at The Joint Commission, so her expertise on the subject is something to take with a grain of salt. (Why is there a marketing dept, you might ask? Well, The Joint Commission accredits ambulatory care, long term care, behavioral health and other settings, and does not have anywhere near the ubiquitous presence that it has in hospitals.)<br />3) We know that hospitals have always prepared pretty heavily just before the accreditation survey (getting equipment out of hallways, for example) which is why the on-site surveys are now unannounced.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-65395623999419336442011-02-23T21:44:19.069-05:002011-02-23T21:44:19.069-05:00nonlocal, your hospital may or may not have rented...nonlocal, your hospital may or may not have rented trailers or temporary storage space to put all that stuff... I've heard crazier things.Mark Grabanhttp://www.leanblog.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-23151547904588626662011-02-23T20:00:09.470-05:002011-02-23T20:00:09.470-05:00Mark, you make me laugh about the equipment in the...Mark, you make me laugh about the equipment in the hallways. My hospital did that consistently, which always irritated me because it was the same hallway leading to the morgue (I was a pathologist). Just before the JC inspection, it would all disappear like magic! Then literally the day after, it reappeared. Never did find out where it went....<br /><br />nonlocalAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-18926221833469032002011-02-23T19:49:22.130-05:002011-02-23T19:49:22.130-05:00From Facebook:
What struck me most about your obs...From Facebook:<br /><br />What struck me most about your observations were these questions:<br /><br />>"What does it say about hospital accreditation standards if there is a need for them to be translated or interpreted in this manner?"<br /><br />>"What does it say about the training of surveyors if they need CliffNotes to do their job confidently?"<br /><br />My world is post-acute (nursing home, outpatient rehab, hospice) care where CMS rules more directly -- no JCAHO deemed status, except for hospices. We have experienced a similar "creep" in the amount of "helpful guidance" on CMS regulations which, in some cases, have actually not changed in many years. But the agencies pile interpretive guidelines on top of interpretive guidelines to the point where the 2010 version of the nursing home regs are over 800 pages long, when they were only 200 pages long less than 10 years ago.<br /><br />As the demands for more accountability and efficiency are spoken more loudly, this does seem to be an aspect that can't be overlooked. Standards are beneficial and can be the rising tide that brings up (or out) some of the less seaworthy boats, but it also forces us to allocate resources toward compliance that might be better-directed closer to those we are here to serve!<br /><br />Thanks for bringing this up, Paul.Billnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-59529401425450672572011-02-23T10:57:11.594-05:002011-02-23T10:57:11.594-05:00That "teaching to the test" analogy seem...That "teaching to the test" analogy seems to certainly hold true, nonlocal. <br /><br />There are parallels, it seems, to ISO-9000 in the manufacturing world. Having the certification or accreditation doesn't seem to be any indicator of quality for the factory or the hospital. It seems that every major high-profile medical error that's in the news comes after a Joint Commission accreditation.<br /><br />As with ISO, it's all in how you go about it -- just passing the test or a tool to drive improvement.<br /><br />One example that always comes up - Joint Commission says hospitals are not supposed to store equipment and gurneys in hallways. Also, it just makes sense not to so that you are blocking patient transport or emergency response.<br /><br />But hospitals almost ALWAYS store stuff in the halls (and store stuff under sinks).... except for when Joint Commission is coming.<br /><br />It reminds me of a British-ism that the Queen thinks the world smells like a fresh coat of patient. Do Joint Commission inspectors REALLY think these rules and guidelines are really being followed when they are not there?<br /><br />It takes two sides to be complicit in an effective oversight regime - the overseers and the overseen.Mark Grabanhttp://www.leanblog.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-2487388270126813062011-02-23T09:10:48.253-05:002011-02-23T09:10:48.253-05:00Maybe I missed something, but I understand the tar...Maybe I missed something, but I understand the target audience to be survey coordinators (within the hospital/health system); not TJC surveyors.Bob C.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10093051464361892034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-29546532933073261312011-02-23T04:18:12.128-05:002011-02-23T04:18:12.128-05:00Having served as an inspector for the College of A...Having served as an inspector for the College of American Pathologists, which serves as a JC 'substitute' for many hospital labs; I can attest that understanding your own organization's standards or checklist questions can be difficult. But it would seem the JC itself should be answering these questions, not letting marketers publish a book about it.<br /><br />The real tragedy is that hospitals concentrate on the minutiae of what they have to do to pass the inspection rather than on the underlying principles of good care on which it is based. Analogous to 'teaching to the test' in education, I supposed.<br /><br />nonlocalAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com