As I got out of the car at the hotel in Chicago, the man asked if I was “with the Joint Commission”. “Why”, I asked, “Do I look like I am?” He said most of the hotel was filled with people from The Joint Commission. And so I would start my first Joint Commission conference for surveyors. As a commissioner, I am invited to conferences and meetings to learn what is happening within the organization, participate in events and show my support.
The first night was the awards dinner where surveyors
working 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years were going to be honored. A booklet, with the honorees names and
accomplishments were at each table setting. .
“These are my people” I told Dr. Chassin, the President and CEO of The
Joint Commission, the people who know what happens at the bedside! Some of the stories between the pages were of the
honorees best memories and most interesting survey. One surveyor told the story of meeting a
hospice patient who was concerned that she could not afford a bridal gown for
her daughter’s wedding. The surveyor
told the nurse who found a local bridal shop that donated a gown.
I soon realized that
the honor isn’t just that they worked the years they worked, but what they
actually accomplished during these years.
At each survey while doing surveys (or inspections) at facilities many surveyors
also educate the staff on safer and more productive ways of doing things.
In most cases, best practices are not shared between one
facility and another. One hospital that
has a low infection rate is competing for the business in the community with
another hospital that may not have as good of an infection rate. While healthcare organizations are busy within
their own facility, surveyors can be sharing what they have learned with other
healthcare organizations. Educating the
medical staff on best practices is one way to help keep patients safe. Learning that these facilities often take
what they learn from surveyors and put it into practice is another reason to
use a Joint Commission accredited facility.
