6. Be prepared to trace a case
Your surveyor will often want to follow a case from the time the
patient is checked in at the front desk to the time he's discharged
with his escort. During this time, the surveyor will be looking to see
whether staff is abiding by best practices, as well as whether you're
following state and federal regulations and properly documenting
procedures.
"The surveyor will ask to see your caseload to see which one
looks like the best one to trace," says Ms. Berreth. "If I were run-
ning an organization, I'd make sure that the case the surveyor
chooses has the best pre- and post-op team on it, and that the OR
team is ready and knows what it's doing."
7. Get staffers ready for questions
Surveyors will likely question your staff on various facility practices.
While some facilities hold morning huddles or weekly review ses-
sions to prep employees, the key is to show them where to find the
answers if they aren't sure, says Ms. Kleinhesselink. "It's always bet-
ter to say 'I don't know' or 'Let me find out' to the surveyor than it
is to make something up," she says. "As long as they can look up
the answer in your policies, that's usually what we're looking for."
8. Don't forget lunch
Most surveyors we spoke to say that if the facility isn't ordering in
lunch, they likely won't eat or will rely on a few stashed granola
bars to make it through the day. Get lunch delivered, since the sur-
veyor will often want to work through lunch, says Dr. Chinn.
"One organization I went to had a basket full of snacks and choco-
lates that they put on my desk," adds Ms. Berreth. "As a surveyor, it
doesn't change your mind, but it does show that the facility is pre-
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