The required Joint Commission inspections that hospitals undergo are always unannounced, so that the inspectors can see the actual workings of the hospital, but they do happen within an expected time of a few weeks. This leads to increased vigilance within the hospital during these weeks of possibly being inspected, and a recent report shows that this has an effect on patient well-being.
A study published by JAMA Internal Medicine found that the expectation of the Joint Commission inspection led to a significant decrease in mortality rates among patents. The patients who were admitted during an inspection week had a 1.5 percent lower risk of dying within a thirty day period than the patients who were admitted within three weeks before or after the survey had been performed.
The survey analyzed the mortality rate for 1.7 Medicare patients at 1,984 hospitals between 2008 and 2012, and compared the people who had been admitted during the week of an inspection against those that were admitted in the weeks surround the inspection. The study analyzed mortality rate, as well as the rates of infections, patient safety indicators, and cardiac arrest mortality.
Harvard University Researchers concluded that if the changes that were being performed for the inspection were carried out constantly there could be over 3,600 fewer patient deaths each year. The study did find that long-term improvements in hospitals are taking place, with 3 million hospital acquired infections being prevented, which saved about $28 billion in extra patient and hospital costs.
The report notes that these changes aren’t done in an attempt to trick anyone, but are more likely the result of increased staff and awareness, with extra focus on proper documentation and hygiene protocols. During the weeks surrounding and during the Joint Commission Inspection, staff should be observing what day to day operations they see change the most, as these may be the best opportunities for what to continuously work on. Hospitals can use this knowledge to create long term quality improvement that saves lives.
