plies with the accreditation standards. "It's impor-
tant to schedule enough lead time to update policies
and procedures and get the revisions approved by
the facility's governing body," says Ms. Piotrowski.
Centers that don't have a lot of experience with
the accreditation process should consider having an
outside consultant conduct a mock survey, suggests
Ms. Piotrowski. This is a non-threatening way to
have an experienced professional assess practices
and processes through the eyes of a surveyor. "It's
also very helpful to have someone from another
department, say from the business office, play the
role of the surveyor," she says. "They might look at
things from a different angle and fresh perspective."
Patient confidence
More patients are choosing to have surgery in out-
patient settings, and those numbers are expected to
keep increasing due to the persistence of COVID-19.
Achieving accreditation has helped Copper Ridge
adjust to the new standards of care. "There are
many additional layers of infection prevention that
have to be put in place during COVID-19," says Ms.
Piotrowski. "Having a solid foundation for meeting
accreditation requirements has really helped during
this time."
One of the best compliments her team ever
received came from an accreditation surveyor, who
said they wouldn't hesitate to send family members
to the facility for surgery, and that they would also
feel comfortable having a procedure performed in
its ORs.
"After they've examined our processes and fol-
lowed the patient throughout their experience, sur-
veyors get to observe what type of care our team
is delivering," says Ms. Piotrowski. "And for them
to say they feel personally very comfortable in the
quality of care we provide was a great endorse-
ment to receive."
OSM
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
• O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T • 3 9
Achieving
Accreditation
2020 Virtual
Dec 7-10
• Connect with your peers
• Learn with engaging content
supported by a wide range of
speakers and live discussions
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Register online at learn.aaahc.org
Try to be survey-ready
all the time.
— Tina Piotrowski, MBA, BSN, RN, CASC