Reimagining Joint Commission Hospital Visits

By Scott Kanagy, DO, chief medical officer, Atrium Medical Center and Miami Valley Hospital South

The Joint Commission has recently visited all Premier Health hospitals. These visits can be very anxiety-filled and stressful for many. The Joint Commission sent representatives to our hospitals to observe and ask questions regarding our policies and practices. They were allowed to look at and ask questions about everything they saw to anyone they encountered, which would cause anxiety and stress for anyone.

However, what if we look at this experience in a different light? The Joint Commission is our partner whose mission is, “Continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value.”

I see a visit from The Joint Commission as an opportunity to have conversations and share suggestions with others from around the country on improving the quality of care for those we serve. It is an opportunity to keep our patients safer and ourselves while operating our facilities at high levels.

However, expanding these conversations and suggestions to improve safety and quality within our facilities requires effort and engagement from everyone in all departments. Frontline staff, managers, directors, administrators, and providers all need to be engaged. Only if we all openly consider the recommendations and how best to act on them will Premier Health and The Joint Commission fulfill the purpose of the visit.

This purpose is to improve the quality and safety of care for our patients, as well as the safety of our staff.

Though much of this work is done behind the scenes. we all play a key role in bringing about potential change out of the suggestions given by The Joint Commission. In some areas, providers’ help will be needed to bring about improvement. Please take the time to work with the managers and directors to discuss how you can help make improvements.

In the end, no matter if you are from The Joint Commission or a hospital employee at any level, we all decided to work in health care for one reason: to help people. With openness to suggestions and collegial dialogue, we can improve the quality and safety in our institutions. 

Back to the May 2024 issue of Premier Pulse