Demonstration at recent Health Fair
On November 16 and 17 Mendocino Coast District Hospital underwent our eagerly awaited Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations survey. The Joint Commission (TJC) is a National organization, created by the American Hospital Associaton, the American Medical Associationsent and the American College of Physicians nearly 60 years ago. It surveys over 17,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. The Joint Commission’s number 1 priority is patient safety. We were visited by 3 surveyors. 1 surveyor was dedicated to Life Safety Code compliance. He was here for the first day only. The other 2 surveyors included a Team Leader (who was a former critical access hospital CEO) and a Home Health surveyor. They were here for 2 days. Our staff described this year’s survey as a very positive experience, in which surveyors collaborated with our staff to improve our patient care delivery systems. A written report of the survey was received on November 24. It documented that MCDH did very well during they survey and has relatively few corrective actions to take. During the 2-day process, surveyors commented many times during the time that they were here of how many “best practices” they discovered here. Some of the best practices included sample medication storage at NCFHC, our Guided Imagery CDs in surgery and our anti coagulation clinic to mention a few. Our staff did a great job. Susan Bivins, in particular, is to be commended for an excellent job of preparation. (more…)