JCAHO will make unannounced surveys

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JCAHO will make unannounced surveys

Posted 8-16-99
By Chris Schreiber

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. Bowing to pressure from the Office of the Inspector General and other patient advocacy groups, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) agreed to change its review policy to include unannounced visits to hospitals.

Effective Jan. 1, 2000, hospitals will receive "no advance notice for random, unannounced surveys," according to a JCAHO statement. Officials at the Joint Commission-the nation's primary, nongovernment hospital regulatory agency-said each year about 5 percent of the nearly 5,000 hospitals it accredits will be subjected to visits. The surveys will be conducted anywhere from nine to 30 months following the typical, scheduled triennial visits.

JCAHO media relations manager Charlene Hill said the new policy was put into effect "to make the surveys more meaningful and credible for those who rely on them." Hill said the surveys would increase hospital accountability and provide a more accurate picture of patient care. Hospitals were previously given 48 hours notice of an "unscheduled" visit. "A good organization is always ready for a survey," Hill said.

American Hospital Association (AHA) officials said they understood the reasons for the policy change, but faulted the JCAHO for not consulting them before announcing the revision. "There should have been some advice and feedback between JCAHO and hospitals," said Mary Grealy, chief Washington, D.C., counsel for the AHA. "We don't think a courtesy call-even minor notice-would destroy what they are trying to achieve. Part of it needs to be collegial and collaborative. In the end, it's about improving the quality of care."

Grealy said the AHA didn't expect more hospitals to be cited for problems because of the unannounced surveys, though she said she expected the new policy to create an efficiency issue. "Without any notice, surveys are not going to be as efficient or effective if certain key people aren't there to walk [JCAHO officials] through what they want," she said.