Photo By Gino Mattorano | Evans Army Community Hospital underwent an Accreditation Assist Visit Feb. 27 through...... read more read more
Evans Army Community Hospital underwent an Accreditation Assist Visit Feb. 27 through March 1, to evaluate the EACH Team’s readiness and compliance with nationally-recognized hospital standards.
Every three years, Military Health System facilities undergo an Accreditation Survey conducted by the Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies more than 22,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.
On off years like this one, military treatment facilities either conduct their own self assessments, or undergo an Accreditation Assist Visit, or AAV, conducted by an independent consultant for hospital and health networks. The AAV gives hospital leadership insight on how well their facility and staff are meeting established standards.
“The AAV gives us an independent evaluation of how we are doing as an institution,” said Lt Col. Nick Pacella, the EACH Deputy to the Commander for Quality and Safety. “Successful organizations have systems in place to ensure safety and confidence in our ability to provide the best care possible to our beneficiaries.
“Much like the aviation industry, military healthcare facilities implement layers of protection in the form of systems, processes, and checklists that serve to protect patients as they navigate their healthcare experience, Pacella said. “Our goal is to provide world class care to our beneficiaries in a zero-harm environment.”
Pacella says that what’s important to remember is that the goal of these evaluations and assessments is to instill a culture of continuous improvement and focus on always providing safe, high-quality healthcare.
“Throughout each process we perform in the delivery of care to our patients, there are numerous layers of safety protocols that every provider and staff member who is part of that care must follow,” Pacella said. “And despite our best efforts, we are all human, so those multiple layers of safety steps ensure that no one person’s mistake will put a patient in danger.”
Now that the AAV is complete, the AAV team will provide feedback to hospital leadership on things they can do maintain its high standard of care, and recommended improvement areas.
“Conducting these independent evaluations gives us an outside look at our processes by independent experts who give us feedback on our processes and procedures and help us ensure we are consistently providing safe, high-quality healthcare to our beneficiaries,” Pacella said. “Throughout the year, we continuously review those processes to ensure we consistently maintain a high-level of quality and safety measures at every level of care.”
Evans Army Community Hospital most recently received accreditation from the Joint Commission in early 2023, and will expect another visit from the survey team sometime in 2026.
According to the Joint Commission, the accreditation survey evaluates the hospital on more than 250 standards that address everything from patient rights and education, infection control, medication management, and preventing medical errors, to how the hospital verifies that its doctors, nurses, and other staff are qualified and competent, how it prepares for emergencies, and how it collects data on its performance and uses that data to improve itself.
| Date Taken: | 03.07.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.07.2024 15:58 |
| Story ID: | 465646 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, CO, US |
| Web Views: | 129 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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