Does Joint Commission OK patient tracking boards?
Is your patient tracking board in violation of Joint Commission requirements? Your need for information about patients might conflict with standards regarding patient privacy, which is a key focus of surveyors from the Oakbrook Terrace, IL-based Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, says Ann Kobs, president and CEO of Type 1 Solutions, a compliance consulting firm specializing in preparation for Joint Commission surveys, based in Fort Myers, FL, and formerly associate director for the department of standards interpretation unit at the Joint Commission.
"EDs all over the country struggle with this issue, and so do the surveyors," she stresses. "I never enter an organization that the question is not raised."
Basically the purpose of a tracking board is to let caregivers know who is in what room and who is caring for them, notes Kobs. Depending on what information is listed, it might raise a red flag with Joint Commission surveyors, she warns.
Don’t overreact
Some EDs have eliminated patient tracking boards because they fear Type 1 recommendations from surveyors. "This is an extremely high profile issue. However, I take that to be an overreaction," says Kobs.
Here are ways to comply with the Joint Commission’s requirements regarding communication boards, according to Kobs:
• If a patient expresses a concern about his or her name being posted, that concern should be honored. Otherwise, a patient’s name (first and last), room/bay number, attending physician, and caregiver can be posted on the board.
• It is perfectly acceptable to list lab work and X-rays being ordered.
• Diagnosis and chief complaints are the only items that should never be posted on a tracking board, according to Carole Patterson, director of the Joint Commission’s standard and interpretation group. "Anything can be listed on the board, with the exception of information that will tell people what the diagnosis is and what is wrong with the individual."
No diagnosis, even with initials
The Joint Commission has had this stance for over five years, Kobs notes. "The diagnosis just isn’t acceptable to list, even with initials or abbreviations. Chief complaints also are not appropriate."
A listing of diagnoses negates patient dignity in the eyes of the Joint Commission, Kobs explains. "They are no longer known as a person, but instead are known as a disease entity," she says.
• Although some EDs are using doors with hinges, with one door over the patient’s name and the other over the chief complaint, this system is not acceptable, Kobs says. "The door with hinges won’t stay closed. You can count on it."
• If your ED is given a Type 1 recommendation and you feel it is in error, the surveyor might be unfamiliar with the interpretation, says Kobs. "In that instance, the organization should approach the surveyor team leader and attempt to resolve it at time of survey. If it is unresolved, appeal the recommendation to Joint Commission, and it will in all probability be removed," she advises.
It is not unusual to hear of surveyors citing organizations just for having the board, regardless of what is on it, Kobs notes. "That is a Type 1 that should be appealed, as the central office of the Joint Commission should not let it stand."
For more information about Joint Commission standards and tracking boards, contact:
• Ann Kobs, President/CEO, Type 1 Solutions, 8695 College Parkway, Suite 307, Fort Myers, FL 33919. Telephone: (941) 415-4454. Fax: (941) 415-4450. E-mail: [email protected].
• Carole Patterson, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, Department of Standards, One Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181. Telephone: (630) 792-5899. Fax: (630) 792-5942. E-mail: [email protected].
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content