JCAHO is coming! What to do as a Unit Secretary (Video)

JCAHO, or Joint Commission Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, now known as the Joint Commission, inspects hospitals once a year to ensure that they are “providing safe, high-quality care.” If not, the hospital risks losing accreditation.

Now the visits are supposed to be “unannounced,” but when the Joint Commission surveyors are in the area, all hospitals are on alert. You’ll know when the Joint Commission is near because everyone in the hospital administration will be freaking out and doing their best to get the hospital in tip-top shape.

So, what is your role as a Unit Secretary in all of this?                  

1. Make sure that your area is nice and neat. Straighten the cabinets and drawers.
2. Stay on top of the charts. When they hit your department, they are going to grab a patient’s chart, grab the nurse, and disappear into a room. That chart does not need to have another patient’s information on it. Even if someone else put it in there by mistake, they’re going to blame you.
3. Assist in getting rid of expired items, whether it’s in the pantry or even the clean utility room.