FEATURE
whether a survey date is approach- ing—is a great practice for an ASC to follow, Yoder says. “Looking at the standards and reviewing your ASC’s performance against them is a good process to do any time as a self-audit. ‘Platinum facilities’ have a leadership team that tests their survey perfor- mance routinely. They are carrying out recurrent mock surveys—even a few months after a survey—just to see how they are performing.”
Bringing in an outside professional
to perform a mock survey six months to a year out from a survey can be a worthwhile investment, Yoder says. “That ‘third eye’ can give an ASC a new look and interpretation of stan- dards compliance. You may think your ASC is performing well, but that fresh perspective may catch overlooked issues. It is like when the walls in our home get a little scratched or dirty: We might not notice it, but someone com- ing into our house will because they do not see those walls on a regular basis.” It is also a good practice for lead- ership and staff to always keep their eyes open for possible issues, del Gra- nado says. “Any given day, as you are walking through your ASC, if you spot something of concern, bring it up. Then work to address the issue as soon as possible.” While year-round preparation is critical, Brody says ASCs can use an approaching survey date as moti- vation to spend more time prepar- ing specifically for the survey. “A few months before the
survey, go
step by step through every standard. Make sure your ASC is doing every- thing that is in the standard and you have the documentation to prove you are satisfying the standard. If you are keeping up with standards changes, you should not be finding anything new, but you might find something that needs to be tweaked. “The entire staff should be involved when this happens, even the phy-
ASC FOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 17
sicians,” she continues. “If you all go through the preparation process together, your survey is probably going to be a cakewalk.”
Learn From Your Experience Use the survey experience as a learn- ing opportunity that will help your ASC improve the care it provides and be better prepared for the next survey, Yoder says. “Initially following a sur-
You have to be ready to be surveyed at any time. All of the standards need to be followed day in and day out. There is no substitute for that.”
— Alfonso del Granado Oak Brook Medical Management
vey, take a big deep breath. It can be an intense couple of days. Once you have a chance to take a step back from the experience, closely review the sur- vey report. Use the information you learn from the survey to make posi- tive changes.”
Del Granado says, “Analyze why
any findings took place to determine the cause. Was it a moment of inat- tention? Was it an individual’s perfor- mance? Was it a systematic failure? Fix whatever needs to be fixed, setting new systems in place if need be.” Brody says ASCs would be wise to tap into the expertise and experience of their surveyors during the survey. “Surveyors go to facilities all over the country and see how different ASCs meet the standards. They love it when you ask their opinion, and many times they provide really good ideas. Even when you are doing something right, surveyors can sometimes share ways
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