Q: What is the biggest benefit for achieving Joint Commission laboratory accreditation for Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center?
A: I believe there are three significant benefits. The most important is the education process it provides employees. Through our preparation and orientation of new employees, the standards help guide them to understand why process is so important. Then, during the survey, the one-on-one interaction with the surveyors allows them time to discuss the “why” behind each standard and really embrace what it does to improve our quality.
The next thing it does, that any laboratory manager or quality director will understand, is it takes the standards and quality assurance work beyond the laboratory doors. Departments such as emergency room, ICU or medical practices are part of the laboratory survey process. The onsite survey highlights how important every step of the testing process is to ensure consistency and patient care.
Finally, we learn from the surveyors and hear about industry best practices so we can improve upon our processes. The surveyors work with our employees to teach them how to improve by telling them what other organizations consider best practice. We then incorporate those ideas into our workflow. The relationship with The Joint Commission is about learning and improving to provide high quality patient care.
