Q&A: Will an unmanned front desk affect survey results?

Q: At my facility, we don’t have someone working the front desk until 11am. Could this affect my survey results?

A: An unmanned front desk is a recipe for disaster. This allows surveyors to wander around to seek assistance. Take control of this issue. If you don’t have anyone at the front desk until later in the morning, designate someone to go out to await the surveyors once you are notified of the survey. If you have volunteers greeting visitors, ensure that they know how to activate the alert process. Security guards should also be trained to greet surveyors and escort them to the correct meeting location in the organization—usually the administrative offices. Some organizations keep a small menu of actions at the front desk that specifically spells out what to do in the event of an unannounced survey. This is a good idea, because you never know if you will be subject to a follow-up, validation, or complaint survey.

-Jodi L. Eisenberg, MHA, CPHQ, CPMSM, CSHA, and Jean S. Clark, RHIA, CSHA 

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