The Joint Commission urges healthcare organizations to treat every week like it is survey week in the wake of a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine Monday that found patient mortality drops at hospitals during unannounced Joint Commission surveys.
In a statement to Becker's, The Joint Commission said it "supports the authors' call for healthcare organizations to examine what they do differently during the weeks the organization is undergoing its on-site accreditation survey to achieve optimal patient safety and outcomes, and strive to replicate those actions throughout the year," the accreditation organization's statement reads.
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"This is consistent with The Joint Commission's emphasis on a strategy of 'continuous readiness' among healthcare organizations: behaviors and an adherence to accreditation and certification requirements that ensure readiness for a Joint Commission survey at any time, which provides for consistent, highly reliable healthcare to patients every day," the statement concludes.