constructed surgical centers that may require accreditation for
third-party reimbursement, and a 6-month wait for a survey would
entail financial hardship. Surgery centers that are already Medicare
certified, as well as those seeking initial Medicare certification, may
apply for a Medicare deemed status survey.
2. Time your surveyor's arrival
Unannounced surveys typically occur within a set period of time.
You can get a good idea of when your survey is coming by tracking
this window — for example, you're 3 months into the 6-month time-
frame — but make sure that you're ready for the visit starting on
day one, says Sandy Berreth, RN, BS, MS, CASC, a surveyor with the
Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC).
"I remember last year I went on a survey and they were 1 month
into their 6-month window. The administrator looked at me and said
'Oh, we didn't expect you,' and I said, 'What do you mean you didn't
expect me?'" says Ms. Berreth. "People go onto these community
websites and see other administrators saying that we won't come
within that first month. But don't believe it. Be ready."
The Joint Commission has an extranet site called Joint
Commission Connect that can provide clues that your survey is on
the horizon.
"The site is active by 7:30 a.m. every day. If your survey is happen-
ing that day, the website would warn you if you log in that morn-
ing," says Steven D. Chinn, DPM, MBA, MS, CJCP, a Joint
Commission surveyor. "Additionally, the Commission posts biogra-
phical information on your surveyor and a draft of the survey plan
well before the actual survey occurs. So, when you see that informa-
tion in the portal, that's the first signal that you're in the survey hop-
per and it's coming."
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