Unannounced Mock Joint Commission Surveys
Since Joint Commission surveys are unannounced, the best preparation an organization can have is an unannounced TJC mock survey. It’s the ideal way to get a handle on just how your organization will respond when TJC surveyors show up at your door. This is especially critical since TJC surveys have often been occurring earlier than the organization’s three year anniversary date.
Many of our clients started off having us do announced mock surveys. After a few years, several opted to move to the unannounced approach. They’ve determined it gives them a much sharper picture of where their vulnerabilities lie and just how they would perform on their real TJC survey.
Benefits of Unannounced Mock Joint Commission Surveys
An unannounced mock survey provides several benefits to your organization:
- It tests out your survey readiness capacity and where it needs to be strengthened.
- It gives managers and staff the opportunity to practice their survey management skills.
- It identifies deficiencies that can be fixed prior to the actual TJC survey.
Unannounced Mock Survey Agenda
Our unannounced Joint Commission mock survey services simulate the agenda for your actual Joint Commission survey and include the following components:
- Document review
- Opening conference
- Tracers (review of clinical records and staff interviews)
- Human Resource files review
- Medical Staff credentialing/privileging review
- Review of contracted services
- Inspection of medication storage areas
- Inspection of physical plant
- System tracer on data use
- System tracer on Infection Control
- Environment of Care/Emergency Management Session
- Daily briefings
- Leadership Session
- Exit conference with leadership team
Unannounced Mock Survey Process
When our unannounced Joint Commission mock survey consultants work with you, we provide on-the-spot feedback to your team about how they’re performing on each part of the mock survey and where they need to improve. For example:
Document Review
- You’ll know which documents to have ready and how best to organize them for easy review by surveyors.
- Our Documents List covers not only the TJC required documents but also additional ones that we know surveyors typically request.
Patient Tracers
- You’ll practice how to interact with surveyors during tracer activities.
- Our Tracer Tools cover all the areas typically reviewed by surveyors during tracers.
Systems Tracers
- You’ll get a dress rehearsal for the systems tracers that TJC will conduct: Medical Staff, Human Resources, Infection Control, Data Use, and Environment of Care.
- Our checklists and templates prepare you for the information needed for each of these sessions.
Leadership Session
- Your leadership team will gain insight to the challenging questions posed by surveyors during this session.
- We provide coaching on how to present your Culture of Safety program – a high focus topic during surveys these days.
Daily Briefings
- You’ll learn how to manage the daily briefings the TJC surveyors conduct.
- We coach you on how to understand the SAFER matrix shown each day – what the scoring means and what questions to ask.
Unannounced Mock Joint Commission Survey Report
Following your unannounced mock survey, you’ll receive an electronic report within three business days. The report is compiled in a format you can easily convert into an action plan. It also includes a SAFER matrix – similar to your TJC report. We create a customized report so you can see where to focus your efforts.
Why Choose Barrins & Associates for Your Unannounced Mock Joint Commission Survey?
We’ve delivered our unannounced Joint Commission mock survey process nationwide to behavioral healthcare organizations. We’ve seen the value it adds to their survey preparation process. Our highly experienced team knows how to make this approach work for your organization.
Get started with us today to sharpen your survey readiness through an unannounced mock survey. Call us at 1-888-742-4621 to discuss your needs or fill out our online contact form.