Web sites offer accreditation info

Preparation for an accreditation survey is an ongoing, daunting prospect that same-day surgery managers often dread. Web sites offered by two major accreditation organizations can help managers keep up with changes in standards and determine which standards represent the greatest challenge to same-day surgery centers.

The Oakbrook Terrace, IL-based Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has a comprehensive Web site (www.jcaho.org) that includes news updates, standards up-dates, requests for feedback on proposed standards, information on decisions, and information on sentinel events.

"We update the Web site on a continuous basis with new information added to the site at least twice a week," says Chantal Wright, Internet communications manager for the Joint Commission. While the standards manuals are not posted on the Web site, supplements to the manuals are posted, she adds.

"Whenever a field review of proposed changes to standards are conducted, we post the proposed changes for visitors to our site to review and comment upon," Wright says.

Sentinel event statistics are updated every two months in preparation for Joint Commission board meetings, she says. The statistics include type of event, setting of event, who identified the event, and what process was used to review the event. The Web site also includes forms, flowcharts, and outlines for reporting sentinel events. Resources such as Joint Commission books and articles related to sentinel events are available.

"We also provide links to other Web sites that include information about sentinel events and error reduction," adds Wright.

Same-day surgery managers who are preparing for a survey will find the list of the 10 top problematic standards for recently conducted surveys a good way to double-check their own preparations. Competence assessment standards for ambulatory care and hospitals were the biggest problem for facilities surveyed in 1999, she says.

Weekly updates are also the norm at the Web site (www.aaahc.org) for the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), says Adrian Hochstadt, director of public affairs and communications for the Wilmette, IL-based organization.

The AAAHC site includes information on legislative and regulatory issues as well as notices of upcoming educational conferences. Links are available to sites including the AAAHC’s Institute for Quality Improvement. Information for surveyors, clarification of standards, and reports from board meetings are included on the site.

The Joint Commission and the AAAHC sites have personnel directories, instructions for ordering publications, and recent news releases.