Countdown to Accreditation Feb. 1 to 4

The beginning of February marks the four-day Accreditation Canada survey of the NHS which takes place every three years.

“We welcome and take pride in this opportunity to demonstrate our progress and successes in providing care to our patients and community,” says Frank Demizio, Vice President Patient Services and Accreditation senior lead. “Many employees across Niagara Health have worked diligently in this effort, which is similar to ISO 9000 reviews in other sectors.”

“We’re preparing for a new survey process called Qmentum, which uses ‘tracer methodology,’ during which a surveyor will trace the care process of a patient from start to finish,” Frank explains. “It’s about reviewing and comparing the processes associated with the care that our staff, physicians and volunteers provide on a daily basis to national standards.”

Over the past 12 months, teams have been reviewing accreditation standards and, where necessary, developing action plans to address areas for improvement. Storyboards have been developed by the various teams that overview their program and unit accomplishments. Mock tracers have been conducted to expose staff and physicians to the various questions they could be asked when a surveyor conducts a tracer in their unit or department.

During their time with us, the five surveyors – physicians, nurses and administrators from other healthcare organizations – will analyze our self-assessment, review our action plans and various documents, and conduct tracers, which will allow them to interact with staff, physicians and patients/clients. «