Female assistant in an assisted living center speaking to a senior man.
Milestones to Accreditation Success
What does your path to behavioral health care accreditation look like? If you’ve never gone through this process, we’ve got you covered.
Steps to Success
Accreditation preparation is all about getting your organization in compliance with Joint Commission standards in readiness for your survey. That knowledge shouldn't be confined to just a few people, so your staff are going to be an integral part of the process. Involving them in your preparation will help them learn and can help with the process as well. Each organization finds their own path, but here are some tips for preparing for accreditation:
Identify areas where you have gaps with the accreditation expectations.
Set up internal meetings to discuss goals, timing, and schedules for resolving those issues.
Divide up the areas that need attention and create work teams.
Have teams create an action plan for bringing you into compliance by the time of your survey.
Coordinate communication of the changes throughout the organization.
Conduct mock tracers or a mock survey to help your staff practice their roles.
Participate in the on-site survey and obtain your accreditation findings.
Amend findings, if needed, usually within 60 days of your survey.
Receive your accreditation decision.
Make continuous compliance a part of your organization's culture to make your next survey in three years even smoother.
When preparing for accreditation, sometimes it helps to see the big picture. We've got you covered. Learn more about what is expected of you at each step of the accreditation journey.
