Background
For 16 years, Paul Pawlak has been President and CEO of Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet, IL. As a Solucient 100 Top Hospital, Pawlak and Lab Manager, Denise DeMattie, place a high emphasis on quality.
What is the advantage of having both your lab and hospital accredited by the Joint Commission?
Pawlak: “When your laboratory and hospital are accredited by the Joint Commission, your doctors and employees are focused on the same standards and work together to hit the highest level of quality.”
DeMattie: “It is easier to follow one set of standards. Also, having the Joint Commission survey the lab and the hospital better integrates the two.”
Has the Joint Commission Tracer Methodology help to improve laboratory safety and quality across the continuum of care?
DeMattie: “Definitely. In one of the Tracers, the Joint Commission surveyor was able to follow a unit of blood from order to actual transfusion. At each step he would ensure we were conforming to the standards. This is critical because transfusing blood is one of the most important tests we do and it was a way for us to see that everyone – from the lab to the nursing staff – was meeting the highest standards.”
Do you believe being accredited by the Joint Commission raises your lab’s perception in the hospital?
DeMattie: “Yes. A lot of times laboratories are very segregated from other departments. So most staff outside the lab don’t know what goes on behind our doors. The Tracers have helped them develop a better understanding and appreciation for what we do.”
Pawlak: “Being accredited by the Joint Commission and being a Solucient 100 Top hospital have raised our perception in the industry and helped us recruit personnel. There’s a high turnover in healthcare and we want the best possible employees we can get.”
In regards to the Joint Commission lab survey process, what type of information would assist you in your job of decreasing adverse events and gaining cost efficiencies?
Pawlak: “From my perspective, I’d like to see where the lab industry is going in the next 2-3 years. What are other hospitals considering implementing? What have others have done to move the quality needle the most?”
DeMattie: “Best practices. How we can improve our processes and our quality? How we can operate the most efficiently so we can reduce costs? The Joint Commission surveyor we had was very educated and experienced. He was able to provide examples of what other organizations are doing so we could make improvements.”
Do you associate your ranking as a Solucient 100 Top Hospital with being Joint Commission accredited in the lab and hospital?
Pawlak: “Yes. To be in the Top 100, you’ve got to demonstrate quality in everything. So if we can make quality improvements in the laboratory that helps us be a better hospital and meet 100 Top criteria.”