> Many of the JCAHO requirements are of a CYA nature.
OT, but I could not resist --
The effectiveness of JCAHO is little. What most people do not realize is
that the majority of the U.S. medical facilities are safe for the patient
one month out of the year as hospitals ignore the poor patient care and
record keeping practices they are accountable for during the previous 11
months leading up to the JCAHO inspection, then panic at the last moment
when JCAHO announces their arrival. During JCAHO preparations, floors get
polished, hallways are cleared of debris, hospital-grade electrical
connections checked and recorded, equipment checked for service tags, fire
extinguishers inspected, etc. And, the administrative, medical, and nursing
staffs are completely consumed with "last minute compliance."
The JCAHO accreditation concept would be valid but for the fact that
facility inspections are not conducted *randomly* and without the facility's
prior notice. Trust me on this one: my entire extended family is in the
health care professions.
If hospitals and their medical staff performed at the same level during the
previous 11 months as they do during JCAHO preparations, personal injury
litigation would be significantly reduced. I have always told my family
that if I require surgery, please call JCAHO and ask that they conduct their
inspection the week that I'm in the O.R. being cut open - I just may have a
fighting chance.
If JCAHO inspections were conducted purely at random, few, if any hospitals
would achieve accreditation -- and absolutely none of them with "JCAHO
Commendation." And to that comment I would bet a month's salary.
Paul, W9AC
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