As accreditation surveys are conducted sporadically, compliance may fall by the wayside between visits.
Here are four quick tips from Pinnacle III for preventing compliance from faltering:
1. Quiz staff. Ask staff members questions similar to what surveyors would ask. If employees don't know an answer, flag that topic as an area of focus for training.
2. Conduct mock surveys periodically. Have a member of the leadership team act as a surveyor and assess performance around the ASC. An outside, trained consultant may also be brought in to simulate the survey experience and pinpoint compliance gaps.
3. Engage staff. Create an environment where employees feel comfortable speaking up when they see potential compliance issues. Rather than creating punishments for these incidents, treat them as educational opportunities.
4. Don't wait to educate. Immediately inform staff whenever a process is changed, and update affected policies and procedures as soon as possible.