Dr. Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, MSHA, MACP, FACMI, President and CEO of The Joint Commission, has taken a hands-on approach since joining the organization in March 2022.
Part of that includes participating in two accreditation surveys from start to finish, as he told Thomas H. Lee, MD, MSc, Editor-in-Chief, during an episode of the NEJM Catalyst podcast.
“The surveyors today are not the surveyors of yesteryear,” Dr. Perlin said during the episode. “They’re typically active professionals in the peak of their career. They’re very informed. What I appreciated most was that they balanced education and accountability.
“The most frequent phrase I heard them ask was, ‘Show me.’ ‘Show me how you’d respond to a fire. Show me how you keep sterile technique.’
“Honestly, I wish I had attended surveys start to finish when I was on the receiving side, because you see how the different standards and elements and performance come together. Particular elements may seem picky, even petty in isolation — but in the aggregate, for topic areas like infection or fire prevention, a number of these little picky points can add up to be something that’s tremendously important. It’s an incredible integrative, synthetic view.”
Dr. Perlin also talked about The Joint Commission’s three strategic priorities during the episode.
“The focus is on three things that are absolutely at the pinnacle of relevance to improved health care,” he said. “They are health equity; environmental sustainability; and workforce, both in terms of new models of care and the sustainability of the workforce itself.
“I’ve been accelerating the focus on each of these priority areas, and I’m pleased to report that we’re already making progress.”
Listen to the podcast to learn more.
Dr. Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, MSHA, MACP, FACMI, President and CEO of The Joint Commission, is set to give an address during Modern Healthcare’s “Future of Staffing Virtual Briefing.” The complimentary event, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT on Thursday, Nov. 10, is aimed at convening healthcare executives to talk about insights, strategies, and possible solutions to staffing challenges, including ways to:
- Improve recruitment, retention, and engagement.
- Ensure manageable workloads.
- Utilize staff more efficiently.
A new set of FAQs have been posted to The Joint Commission’s website, addressing COVID-19 guidance for wearing masks in healthcare settings.
Find out the answer to, “What are The Joint Commission's expectations for implementing the updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance regarding the routine use of masks (also known as source control) to ensure compliance?” The FAQs list answers and resources for the following settings:
The Joint Commission is adding a safety briefing to all accreditation surveys and certification and verification reviews, effective Jan. 1, 2023.
The informal briefing — which is not expected to take more than 5 minutes — allows organizations to tell surveyors and reviewers about any potential contemporary safety concerns and how the surveyors/reviewers should respond if the organizations’ safety plans are implemented while surveyors/reviewers are on-site. Organizations should identify staff who will provide the briefing prior to the surveyor or reviewer arriving.
The briefing will be incorporated into the arrival and greeting activities held on Day 1 of surveys or reviews. Topics that an organization should be prepared to discuss during the briefing include:
- Fire, smoke, or other emergencies.
- Workplace violence, including active shooter scenarios.
- Any specific issues the organization is aware of that surveyors/reviewers may encounter during their time on-site.
(Contact: James Kendig, jkendig@jointcommission.org)