(Melinda) Hello, everyone. I'm Melinda Lehman
with the Marketing Department at The Joint Commission,
and welcome to today's webinar, Resources for Your Journey
to Behavioral Health and Human Services Accreditation.
Before we begin, I'd like to go over a few things
so you know how to participate in today's event.
You've joined the presentation listening, using your computer speakers by default.
To join over the phone,
which can prevent you from losing audio if the computer signal's lost,
select Telephone in the Audio pane of the control panel
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You'll have the opportunity to submit text questions to us today
by typing your questions into the Questions pane
of the control panel.
You can send in your questions at any time during the presentation,
and we'll address them during the Q&A session at the end.
If you need help, you can also contact us using that Questions function.
Today's webinar is being recorded,
and you'll receive a follow-up e-mail this afternoon with the slides,
and a link to view the replay.
The slides and some other helpful information
are also available for downloading today from the Handout pane at the right.
And just a reminder,
this webinar provides an introductory level of information today.
I'd now like to introduce Yvonne Rockwood,
Associate Director for the Behavioral Health Care and Human Services
Accreditation Program at The Joint Commission.
Yvonne?
(Yvonne) Thank you so much, Melinda,
and thank everyone here for participating today.
We have a very short time together,
so I'm going to be walking you through a wealth of resources,
and be some time for questions and answers afterwards.
All right. Several-- Next slide.
All right. Here's our agenda.
Going to walk you through a background on The Joint Commission,
because not everyone knows about The Joint Commission,
and then we're going to be covering all about our staff, resources,
and then other media and electronic resources available to you.
And then finally, a little bit about our sister company,
Joint Commission Resources.
All right. Let's talk about a bit about The Joint Commission.
This slide shows five basic areas
of how Joint Commission will benefit you.
And of course, there are many more.
But first of all, we are the most widely recognized
and respected accreditation body with referral services,
business partners, consumers, and families across the nation.
Achieving accreditation demonstrates your commitment
to providing a very safe environment,
and it gives those you serve, their families and the community
confidence in choosing your services.
It can help organizations enhance the high standing with payers
by improving emergency preparedness,
increasing referrals and attracting physical health providers.
So of the five that are mentioned here, I think if I were to summarize it,
I would say it provides a framework and a culture for safety,
and also expands referral services, so there's more business for you,
and it reduces risk, which is a very important tree as well.
Next slide.
Here's a little snapshot of what sets us apart,
and although there's more than four reasons,
I'm going to tell you a few.
First of all, we are the Gold Standard in Accreditation.
We are widely respected across healthcare and human services.
We have proprietary high-tech processes
that are not only computer-based,
but they've got so much information for you.
At the same time, we're high touch.
So we're high-tech, but we're high touch,
and you'll see that, throughout today's presentation,
we're going to provide you a lot of human support
to get to our resources and to guide you through it.
And then finally, our cadre of surveyors are second to none.
They are really very experienced in the field,
and they all have experience in your organization,
type of organization I should say.
They go out at least 23 times a year, sometimes even more,
and this gives them the opportunity
to collect good practices and helpful ideas
to share with you during your survey.
They are not volunteers, they are all employed by the organization.
So this gives them a consistency and a loyalty and a caliber
that you won't find in other places.
OK, next slide.
So you see here our mix of products and services here.
We have over 50 years
in the Behavioral Health Care accreditation.
We've been around for over 70,
but 50 plus in the behavioral health arena.
Right now, we have 3500 organizations
with 12,000 locations across The United States.
And if you take a look at the lower part of the right-hand side,
61 of these are community-based providers.
And 39% are affiliated with some kind of a system,
or ambulatory care, or something else.
So, all total, this is the balance
of the types of providers that we accredit.
Next slide.
So what do our accredited organizations have to say?
And you can read this, of course, but by large,
they tell us that their survey experience
is highly educational, collaborative, and insightful.
In addition to finding areas of improvement that can be made,
their surveyors often point out where they are excelling,
and that's really important
that your organization has a lot to be proud of.
And this is really a point of pride for the staff.
So, before we go onto the next slide,
I just wanted to take a moment to let you know,
just this morning, I talked to a customer who was recently accredited.
And when she describes her experience,
she said, "Great, I can't say anything other than great."
- "How were the surveyors?" - "Great. They really were collaborative."
So, when we hear feedback like that,
this is an experience that should be
and our goal is to have very upbuilding for your organization.
Next slide.
So enough about us.
Let's start and talk about how we can help you,
and what our resources look like.
So, first, I want to talk about the staff resources,
and then we're going to talk about media and web resources,
and finally, something about The Joint Commission Resources,
our sister company.
So, first of all, here's our team.
I'm up there in the top left,
and the rest of my team,
they all have experience in behavioral health
in one way, shape, or another.
In fact, we have a couple of surveyors on our team.
So we help with steps in your decision making process,
assist you with steps to accreditation, will provide a fee estimate,
and give you free access and orientation to our manual.
And you can get this manual by just going ahead and clicking the link below,
and whoever responds
will set you up with the right person and it is complimentary.
OK, next slide.
So more human resources that we have for you,
is your Account Executive.
After you apply for accreditation, meaning you put your application,
you will be additionally assigned an Account Executive,
and this person is a type of coach.
They're going to help schedule and coordinate your initial on-site survey.
They're going to guide you through the accreditation policies,
and help you prepare for your survey.
Finally, they're going to assist with any post-survey activities
that you may have.
All right. Let me show you where you can find that Account Executive
in a few more slides.
It's OK, go ahead to the next slide.
Standards Help. This is a really excellent department.
This department is called Standards Interpretation Group,
and we affectionately call it SIG.
It's a key resource to help you get ready for your survey,
and to interpret standards, not only while you prepare,
but after accreditation is done
and throughout your whole time with The Joint Commission.
This is a dedicated team of behavioral health care experts
that can walk you through anything in our manual
and help you interpret and understand, number one, if it's applicable to you,
number two, how you would meet that standard.
Next slide.
A little bit more about The Joint Commission
Interpretation Group, or SIG.
We also have engineers on the team.
And so when you put in a request to SIG,
you are going to get the expert that's appropriate.
So you can submit your question online, and there's the link there.
And then there's also frequently asked questions.
So you can see on the bottom left-hand side,
on our website, you have standard frequently asked questions,
or submit a standard question.
Next, we're going to talk about E-dition, your manual.
And this is really a key to getting ready,
and the first thing that we provide to you upon request,
and again, it is complimentary.
And we call it E-dition affectionately for our digital manual.
Next slide, we're going to talk about...
You can't be ready for the survey
until you've actually reviewed these requirements.
So, you want to conduct a gap analysis,
meaning you're to look at what you already have in place,
compared to what Joint Commission is looking for,
and then close those gaps.
So E-dition is a key resource for readiness.
Next slide.
Getting the E-dition is as simple as a call or an e-mail.
We provide a 90-day trial version,
that's the exact same version you're going to get when you apply,
and it is renewable for you.
We'll walk you through it, and we'll customize it for you.
So, we're going to, if you click the next slide,
you're going to see a little spot, I believe, yeah, there you go.
Here's the red arrow.
This is the homepage on E-dition.
And on the top right there with the red arrow,
you click the Service Profile,
and the Service Profile will drop down all the services and settings
that we accredit for, you'll see that in the next slide.
But that way, you can customize it.
You can customize your filter, what is not applicable to you,
and you can only look at what is applicable,
which is very great.
You don't have to shovel yourself
looking at standards that aren't applicable to you.
Next slide.
So, as you're looking at how to use this manual,
you're going to find a comprehensive summary
of how to use the manual.
You can see the red arrow there.
We really have a chapter on just how to use this manual.
We recommend you review it, navigate it.
But we're here to guide you through it as well.
Another plus is that the E-dition is automatically updated
with new standards when they come out.
This is typically in November or December prior to the new year.
Once you've applied and you've submitted your deposit, or you are accredited,
you will receive monthly digital publication called Perspectives,
and that's where all the standard changes are formally announced.
You'll always know.
Now we're going to go onto Website and Multimedia.
So, switching from the high touch or the people,
here's more high-tech and here we're going to have...
you know, several resources that are provided for you,
First of all, our website itself,
You can click on that link and find a wealth of resources for you,
Basic information and content, help with decision making, a pricing link.
We have a Guide to Accreditation on there, and much more.
The free webinars are important,
videos.
And, you know, finally,
you're going to have updates on COVID and the latest things that are happening.
OK.
More links.
So here, we're going to have,
depending on what type of organization you are,
there is something here for you.
Suicide reduction, Workplace violence reduction,
Workplace violence reduction strategies webinar replay,
Promoting the well-being of staff during a crisis.
And you've all been very familiar with that
in the last almost two years with the COVID.
Not only do we need to protect ourselves from the virus,
you know, physically,
but also our staff are in crisis
as they've gone through this for so long.
And how to do that?
There's some link and help tips.
Identifying human trafficking victims.
Then, finally, here, there are some resources on the LGBT
and providing care for them, as well.
Alright. Now, shifting to a different division,
and this is called the Center for Transforming Healthcare.
The Center for Transforming Healthcare is an excellent division and resource
for helping you improve your performance,
helping you provide a culture of safety,
a highly reliable culture,
and handoffs in communication, all which are important.
And you'll see in your manual,
we really look for what are you doing right now
to help your organization improve.
And this particular organization, that's what they do.
They are really great at it.
Now we also have a website called Quality Check,
and any one of you could go to it and take a look right now,
and towards the bottom, you're going to see how it works.
You're going to put in maybe a zip code,
or the name of an organization, or city or state,
and you're going to find different organizations
that are accredited.
You'll filter for behavioral health,
and you'll find what services they're accredited for.
Once you become accredited, your name will be in there as well.
And your people will be able to find you, but more importantly,
when someone's considering using you,
when they see that you're in the list of Gold Seal providers,
that is going to be a highly motivated reason
for them to call you.
OK.
Now, we're going to talk about our Connect site,
and this is a secure extranet website that we provide for you
when you are considering accreditation, and when you're applying.
This page is available only once you've applied,
or you've requested an application.
And here on the Connect site, this is just how yours would look as well.
On the top right, you're going to see the name of the company,
and this particular company is accredited.
On the left arrow, you're going to see the name of your Account Executive,
I mentioned that earlier.
Then, under the name is a hyperlink,
so you can e-mail that person or call them.
And then the second arrow down on the left is notification of special events.
If you're scheduled for survey,
it will show up here.
In addition, you'll have a 30-day notice
in some other means of communicating with you.
And the far right, you can see-- Sorry about that--
the final arrow there, you know, has some important updates.
So things that are really kind of in the moment you want to look at.
Next slide.
More on the Connect site.
The section blue boxes on the top, each have drop-downs just like this.
And right now, we've opened the Continuous Compliance drop-down.
Here, you have an ICM tool
and that tool is called Intra Cycle Monitoring,
but you can call it a project management tool,
that's what I like to call it.
You can take a look at the standards, the documents that we're looking for,
and you can start checking off when you're done.
So it's a great way to manage your progress toward readiness.
You can see also on here that you've got a general application--
Sorry, about that, Melinda.
General application is there,
and that's where you can always access your application,
This is kinda your go-to screening once you've applied.
Alright, Next one.
On that same screen,
you're going to have a Survey Activity Guide.
And that guide is going to help you also get ready for the survey.
This guide that you'll see is very big, but it is able to be filtered
by behavioral healthcare.
So you can see just what you need for behavioral healthcare.
Over to the right here, you see a documentation checklist.
And that checklist is not something you have to hand into us.
But it is something that you'll want to take a look at and have ready,
so that when we come to visit you,
you have your organizational chart and other things ready.
OK. So here we go with the SAFER Dashboard.
This is a new tool that's available to you this year,
and that you'll find on your Joint Commission Connect site.
So after your survey, you're going to get the SAFER Matrix.
You can see down to the bottom right with the reds and the yellows,
this matrix is going to show you where you have high risk,
where you have O,
where it's widespread, where it's low risk and so forth.
So, it's going to be a business intelligence tool
that helps you easily manage any survey findings.
It's great to share with staff.
You'll find spot trends, and you can compare across locations.
Alright.
Onto our sister organization,
and this is called Joint Commission Resources.
The Joint Commission Resources offers several tools for you to use,
and some of them I'm going to list it in the next upcoming slides.
But their mission is to provide tools and resources
to assist you in accreditation,
and those in the process of accreditation.
Alright, the next slide, I believe,
gives us a little bit more on their publications.
And those little books down below...
I love just to picture them in terms of the links.
So, you got the Big Book of Tracers.
So, the Tracer methodology, for those who are not familiar,
is that when we look at the process of care across...
the state or the admission process to the end,
to the discharge of your client.
The Big Book of More Tracer Questions.
And then you have a documentation checklist,
we call it the Big Book of...
you know, in the far right, in behavioral healthcare,
we have care, treatment and services chapter.
There's many tools for you to look at and consider.
Next slide.
Finally, this tool is called Tracers with AMP.
This is kind of a combination.
If you're interested in running mock tracers,
the AMP tool is for you.
Here, you're going to get Tracer templates for your organization.
You can do a mock survey on yourself,
and it's really useful for very large and multi site organizations
to keep in mind how all of you are doing together.
Here are some digital subscriptions and resources for you,
PolicySource is one of the latest that I like very much.
And the PolicySource is a new tool as well,
and it's got several, if not all,
of the behavioral healthcare documents that are required.
So they're templated policies and procedures
that you do need to customize for yourself.
But when you're starting, setting up a company,
or you'd like to get everything organized,
this is a really great tool for you to use,
they're all downloadable and they're yours once you subscribe.
And then, finally, down here at the bottom,
we have an 11-part webinar series for you that you can tap into, as well.
Finally, we have our Virtual Event.
And this is our annual conference that's coming up October 26 and 28,
and we really invite you to take a look and see what we have to offer.
I really believe there's something for everybody.
It's cost effective and a virtual for you.
So I hope to see you there.
Finally, what do our accredited organizations say?
And in order to put it concisely,
this quote kind of says it all.
We really do provide the highest standards of excellence
that you can have in the field.
On the lower part, it says,
"One of the best parts of The Joint Commission for us
is having our rep so quickly available.
I don't feel like I'm ever floating on an island
trying to figure things out on my own."
And I think that summarizes for today
what is basic to remember.
Just reach out to us, and we're here to help
and make this process really manageable.
So, finally, when you get the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission,
it means that you've really reached for
and you've achieved the highest level of performance recognition available
in the behavioral healthcare field.
This is what the Gold Seal stands for and it's known nationally for that.
And it's really an honor to be a Joint Commission Gold Seal provider.
OK. We'll take some time for some questions.
We got five minutes left, I think, and thank you so much for...
letting me get through that so quickly.
(Melinda) Thank you very much, Yvonne.
As a reminder to everyone, you can submit questions to us today
by typing them into the Questions pane of the control panel.
And if you're looking for a copy of the slides,
that is available in the Handout section.
So, Yvonne, our first question is,
How would we find out
if our upcoming survey is going to be done live or virtually?
(Yvonne) Alright. Great question.
For those that aren't aware, we do offer two types of surveys:
the onsite, in person; or the virtual.
And you would request that in advance with your Account Executive.
You'd request that you have a virtual survey,
and he or she would go through the process of being sure that you qualify,
meaning you have the tools available to have a virtual survey,
and that your state has approved it.
And all but a few states have approved virtual surveys.
So, you'll know way in advance.
You'll be notified 30 days in advance,
and you'll also have a trial run for that virtual survey
before the survey occurs, so you're sure you're ready to go.
(Melinda) Thank you.
Our next question is,
How do I find the pricing or get a price quote?
(Yvonne) Alright, another great question.
When you go to our website, it is a good channel.
And the reason for this is because every single organization
is a little bit different.
We price by services, settings,
and services setting symbolic,
there you go.
So if you're a very small organization,
your volume is going to be low, and your pricing is going to be lower.
So, the basic answer to that is to contact one of us
in the early pages,
and in the next slide down, actually, we've got one more.
You can contact any of us.
We're going to give you an estimate,
you're going to know exactly what you fee has to be.
(Melinda) Great. Thank you. Our next question is,
Where do we find out for how many years our accreditation award is?
(Yvonne) Oh, OK.
The accreditation reward with The Joint Commission
is always three years, never anything different,
not a one-year, not a two-year, it's always a three-year accreditation.
(Melinda) Thank you. Our next question is,
Is it possible to get a hard copy of E-dition?
(Yvonne) Oh, OK. You sure is.
The same folks that can give you this electronic manual
will also send you a complimentary if you request.
I'm going to call it a spiral book,
it's a little bit of a paperback type version.
And we're happy to send that to you, and again, that is complementary.
You can even purchase
a hard copy full manual that can be a little pricey,
but we do have something in between for you.
Keep in mind, however,
that the hard copy manual will not be filtered.
So, you will get standards
that come up that won't be applicable to you.
But nonetheless, sometimes it's really nice
to have the manual in hand.
(Melinda) Our next question is,
I'm opening a home for trauma children and I need to know where I should begin.
(Yvonne) Alright. Sure.
As we talked about earlier in the slides,
our Business Development, my colleagues can walk you through the process
of getting the manual for you.
First of all, talking about whether or not you're licensed,
the size of your organization,
the age of the children,
our concepts are trauma-informed,
and we will select on your Service Profile
exactly what it is that you provide,
and we'll look through those standards together.
There you go,
you know, filter in on those exact requirements.
(Melinda) Thank you.
The question is,
Do you cover mental health clinics and community centers?
(Yvonne) Yes, we absolutely do cover mental health clinics
and community centers,
and when we filter for E-dition,
you're also going to find those options as well.
Our next one is,
Are outpatient behavioral health service office buildings
held to the same standard as inpatient units?
(Yvonne) Alright, that's a really great-- we've got a good audience here.
Your outpatient offices that don't serve clients
are held to certain standards.
We want the buildings to be safe,
and so some life safety items will come up,
so, of course, the clinical care standards would not apply there
unless some clinical care was being provided out of that office.
But in general, it's a more scaled down requirements for an office
that is focused on safety, the technology, confidentiality,
but not necessarily the client.
Yeah.
(Melinda) Thank you.
Next question sounds like it's about what we call
our tailoring policy for hospitals.
The question is,
We're an inpatient psychiatric hospital
with a forensic unit and group home setting on campus.
Are we accredited under the Hospital manual,
or with that and the additional Behavioral Health manual?
(Yvonne) OK. So, if you're already accredited,
one way to figure that out is to contact your Account Executive
and ask them if you are under the Hospital manual,
or the Behavioral Health manual, or both.
We do provide you with the option.
When your offices are on campus like that
and you're affiliated with the hospital,
you have a certain volume/term quote to meet,
and you would then flip over to having the Behavioral Health manual
be applicable to you.
That is a little bit of a tricky question
based on your volume and the services provided,
but I think suffice it to say you can go both ways.
(Melinda) Thank you.
Well, it looks like we are running a little over.
We're at 12:32.
So if we didn't get to your questions,
we will certainly get back to you and reach out,
and try to get those answered for you.
But thank you for all the great questions,
and we'll move on to our final slide.
(Yvonne) Alright. And this is the Behavioral Healthcare team,
with names, e-mails and numbers.
Call any one of us, depending on,
you know, if you think you're Eastern US. or Western US,
sometimes it's pretty obvious, and other times you're not sure,
but we'll all help you and direct you to the right place.
(Melinda) [inaudible] the Mississippi River.
(Yvonne) Yes, Yes. Right.
Alright, thank you so much.
And don't forget to join us in our August 31st COVID Q&A update,
as well as our upcoming conference.
(Melinda) Thank you, everyone, for attending today's event.
Once you exit, you're going to get a short survey
and we'd appreciate it if you'd let us know how we did today
packing all this information into just a few minutes of slides.
You're also going to receive an e-mail this afternoon
with a copy of the slides
and the link to view the replay of today's webinar.
We hope you found it valuable.
That concludes our webinar for today.
Thank you very much.