Q. Is there anything else that the Joint Commission does differently or better than other accrediting bodies?
Reyna: We like the emphasis on education and knowing the “why” behind the task.
Stephanie: The Joint Commission is more open to questions, making the survey more of a dialogue. The surveyors are very helpful and they are there to guide us through the survey process and let us know what we need to improve.
Yuliya: Yes, it’s a dialogue and Joint Commission surveyors are there to teach and show us the way. They tell us how they did things, how things are done in different laboratories, and they give us suggestions. Joint Commission wants to teach and show us ways to improve our processes. The Joint Commission survey is more suggestive than punitive. If they find deficiencies, they are here to help us fix it.
Stephanie: The CAP inspection is hectic as it is completed in a single day. The Joint Commission surveyors are on-site for a couple of days, which is less stressful.
Yuliya: The Joint Commission utilizes published standards and guidelines, which leaves no room for subjectivity or ambiguity. You can prepare and stay prepared every day because you have the guidelines in front of you. In fact, we use the guidelines to write our procedure manuals.
Reyna: The Joint Commission is extremely helpful. We can call a rep any time we have questions. For example, we can ask if we are interpreting a standard correctly. Someone is always available to assist before, during and after surveys to help us understand what is expected.