Dance on a volcano: Keeping tabs on those that keep tabs on us…
As we’ve discussed in the past, the world in which we exist—and the stories and challenges contained therein—is never ending. And the subtext of that constancy revolves around our efforts to stay (as it were) one step ahead of the sheriff.
Part of me is railing against my chosen topic this week because I always feel like this space can (and, admittedly, does) have a tendency towards a Joint Commission-centric vision of the compliance universe, but while they may not be the largest primate in the compliance universe (once again violating all manner of metaphoric-mixing indignities), they are (more or less) the organization with the most robust customer-forward presence, through Perspectives to the FAQ pages to the topic-specific offerings we’re covering this week. All things being equal (which, of course, they never really are), I would encourage you to poke around a bit on these sites as there is a mix of stuff that is almost ancient, but some tools, etc. that you might find useful in demonstrating compliance.
The Physical Environment portal is kind of the granddaddy of this whole construct; it started out as a collaboration with the American Society for Health Care Engineering (and may very well continue to be so, but it’s kind of tough to tell) with the goal of providing information on the most frequently cited standards. Unfortunately (for me, but not so much for you), a lot of the information, including “surveyor insights,” is accessible only through your organization’s TJC extranet portal, but there is some stuff that’s worth a look. For example, there is a fire drill matrix that gives a sense of what areas should be considered for your high-risk fire drills (or would it be fire drills in high-risk areas…); the one on the matrix I found of some interest was Cath/EP lab making the high-risk list. I guess the overarching thought is to make sure you carefully consider those areas in which surgical fires a present as a risk.
There are also portals for emergency management, healthcare-acquired infections (I would keep a close eye on that one; lots of indication that this is the next “big thing” for survey), and workplace violence. Keep an eye on them: You never know what might pop up!
About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a safety consultant with The Greeley Company in Danvers, Mass. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is also a contributing editor for Healthcare Safety Leader. Contact Steve at stevemacsafetyspace@gmail.com.