ty's staff and that cre-
dentialing and other
key policies and pro-
cedures have been
thoroughly reviewed
and updated, says Ms.
Rodriguez.
Practice makes
perfect
When it comes to
preparing for the real
deal, few things are
more effective than a mock survey. "We conduct them six to eight
months out," says Mr. Elledge. "That gives us plenty of time to
respond to any issues we may find."
You should also use mock surveys as an opportunity to question
how you've always done things. "One of the great things about a mock
survey is you can ask questions without fear or get a surveyor to tell
you exactly how to interpret this standard or that standard," says Ms.
Rodriguez.
Perhaps the most pragmatic survey preparation tip we received
came from the folks at the Arkansas Specialty Surgery Center in Little
Rock. "We hired a nurse who was a past surveyor, and she knows
exactly who to talk to regarding tricky compliance issues," says Cami
Love, RN, acting administrator at Arkansas Specialty Surgery Center.
That hire paid dividends when the facility was undergoing con-
struction and needed to know what had to be done to keep the sur-
gical suites operational and in compliance with infection control
requirements during the transition. "The nurse was easily able to
5 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A R C H 2 0 2 0
• REACTION TIME Metro Health OAM Surgery Center conducts its mock surveys six
to eight months before the real thing to ensure there's plenty of time to fix any defi-
ciencies that are found.
Heath
DeHaan,
Metro
Health
OAM
Surgery
Center
