The South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations (SDAHO) Quality Team coordinated a Survey Readiness chat with a State Surveyor. SDAHO in collaboration with the South Dakota Office of Rural Health hosted a one-hour virtual conversation with Jean Koch, RN Acute and Continuing Care Public Health Advisor, with the State of SD. Jean’s presentation focused on responding to questions submitted by Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) on the topic of surveyor readiness. This is the first time in South Dakota that this type of event has been held. A total of 79 healthcare professionals joined the call.
The presentation was moderated by Loretta Bryan, SDAHO Clinical Improvement Consultant with support from Michelle Hofer, SDAHO Clinical Improvement Consultant. Katelyn Delange, BSN, RN from Douglas County Memorial Hospital in Armour, participated in the event, providing a brief overview. Douglas County Memorial Hospital recently completed an unannounced survey from the State and Katelyn provide her feedback, reflection on the experience.
Jean answered a variety of questions covering the areas of Infection Control, Covid, and Documentation. Key items discussed included importance of hospital policies, staying abreast of changing regulations, importance of documentation, and clear signage to name a few. “We are grateful to both Katelyn and Jean for presenting the valuable information.” Becky Heisinger, MBA, PMP, CGMS, Director of Quality Integration, SDAHO
Next month, SDAHO will be offering another virtual webinar on Survey Readiness for Medicare-Certified Organizations. Nancy Ruzicka, with Ruzicka Healthcare Consulting LLC., will present on April 7 at 11 am CST. Nancy’s presentation will assist healthcare organizations on how to best prepare for unannounced surveys from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), State Survey Agency or outside accreditation entities. SDAHO members may attend this webinar for free by registering through SDAHO education portal. For more information on this session, click here. This opportunity is made possible through the SD Flex grant and a continued partnership with the Office of Rural Health.
