Q&A: Ongoing compliance success: Organization by focus area

Q: What are some key steps to consider in staying organized for survey readiness?

A: Let’s face it: A certain number of issues generate the most requirements for improvement. We already discussed the fact that failure to authenticate verbal orders was cited as a common problematic standard. Sometimes people feel it is most expeditious to concentrate on only the most problematic areas. Within these areas, some problems are more serious than others in terms of risk. Remember to focus on the outcome of your risk assessments to ensure that you are focusing first on those issues that have the most risk to your patients.

Some organizations decide to focus on the areas of highest risk for them. They could determine these areas based on data available to them, such as the previous survey report, their internal assessment information, and perhaps measure of success (MOS) data. Organizing readiness in this manner is not easier; it just requires a different approach.