Spotlight On Accreditation:
Washoe Medical Center [continued]
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How
did we accomplish this? We did it with a highly organized and
dedicated team effort. Some of the tips that we can offer to
others are:
- Take
time to educate all staff and physicians on the importance
and benefits of accreditation.
- Print
out the individual physician and sonographer information pages
from the application program and distribute them to the staff
to fill out. Attach a copy of the ACC official statement on
accreditation/certification to each physician's form to emphasize
the importance of accreditation.
- Enter
staff information into the application program from the completed
forms, creating separate file folders for each physician and
sonographer and putting all of their information and attachments
into each folder.
- Write
the name of each physician and sonographer on a dry eraser
board and check them off as you complete their information
and file.
- Have
all the sonographers continue to look for good case studies
even if they have completed theirs.
- Offer
a prize or reward to the first few sonographers that get their
case studies completed.
- Have
someone else verify that a study will make a good case study
before starting it.
- As
you acquire case studies, write each one out on a dry eraser
board, with a) date, b) pathology, c) sonographer, and d)
reading physician's name. This way you will know what is done
and what you still need to complete.
- Organize
all policies, procedures and attachments (two copies of each)
into separate labeled file folders. It will make it much
easier when you go to put it all together at the end.
- Print
out the Attachment list page from the application program
and mark each one as you add them to the file folders.
I
energetically recommend and encourage the voluntary ICAEL accreditation
process for all echocardiography laboratories. It forces a department
to "tear apart" all of its procedures, policies and
protocols and examine what they do, how they do it, and how
they can do it better - all of which benefits your patients,
the physicians, your communities and your profession.
Len
Polak, RDCS is the Manager of Washoe's Non-Invasive Cardiovascular
Services.
Washoe Medical Center is proud to be the first ICAEL accredited
laboratory in the state of Nevada.
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