Depending on your type of healthcare practice setting, you either have absolutely no free time, or very little to do during the current COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. If you are one of the many healthcare professionals on the frontlines caring for those affected, your primary, and really, only focus, is to provide care and support for those who are ill, as well as yourself.
Because of this shift in focus, there are some healthcare facilities and professionals who currently find themselves with extra time due to the sudden work reduction or work stoppage, including cancellation of elective surgeries. Don’t let this downtime go to waste…use it to prepare yourself, and your practice, to better serve your patients and enhance regulatory compliance. As a consultant pharmacist, I am always looking for ways to keep my facilities ahead of the curve: below are five ways to put your downtime to use and stay productive and be on the leading edge.
While none of these items are particularly fun, they are all necessary. Additionally, these are items with which all of us often struggle to keep up during our normal day-to-day operations. Spending a few extra minutes now, can save you a lot of time and aggravation when things ramp back up. Beyond just saving time later, having these areas fine-tuned will ultimately allow you to be more efficient and spend more time focused on your patients.
1) Credentialing and privileging: This is one of the most commonly cited areas during surveys performed by the certification and accreditation bodies such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF) and The Joint Commission (TJC).
Review your entire process to determine if your credentialing and privileging is complete. Focus on areas such as conducting verification of provider qualifications, following privileging protocol and using peer review in the process. Spend some time looking at your peer review process and make sure it is not solely based on chart review. Peer review should also include other items such as infection rates, patient satisfaction and compliance with rules and regulations. Is your process consistent? Now is a good time to make sure it works smoothly.
2) Policy and procedure: This is never an exciting task, but now is a great time to review all policies and make sure they are up-to-date. As you revisit your existing policies, think about whether they differ from your actual practice. Although we know having a policy is critical, it is equally important to ensure facility staff are following the policy and procedure as written. Are all members of the staff following the policy? Does the policy need to be modified or do we need to spend extra time providing education (we address education below)? Because of the additional focus on infection control and antibiotic stewardship, pay particular attention to policies in this area. For additional information on antibiotic stewardship, and the impact of COVID-19, please read a recent post I wrote “The Coronavirus & Antibiotic Stewardship: Advice from a Consultant Pharmacist”.
3) Ordering and inventory of medications/medical supplies: The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly highlighted some shortcomings of the healthcare system. Among them — the medication and medical supply chain. Shortages have been occurring for years, but public health emergencies always put additional strain on the supply. In addition to the expected strains, we also notice the normal tendency of folks to hoard items, which in turn deprives someone else. It’s always good to be proactive and look at multiple ways to solve the same problem.
When it comes to medications and supplies, there are various steps you can take to have your facility as prepared as possible. Among them is having a dedicated person who oversees your inventory and monitors supply and demand. For additional ideas on how to prepare for drug shortages, read a recent post I wrote entitled: “Ten Steps to Dealing with Drug Shortages”. Now is a good time to follow these steps to prepare for a more seamless process when the next crisis occurs.
4) Education and assessments: Have you reviewed your staff assessments to determine if everyone is current? Take a few minutes to review your records and make sure each staff member has completed all required assessments. Is there any additional education they must complete? Have they completed an annual medication safety assessment?
This is a good time to review regulatory compliance and ensure all required areas are up to date. There is never a fun time to do paperwork, but since it is required, make use of any extra time to complete these tasks.
5) Audits to identify areas of weakness: One of the best uses of this found time is to review and assess areas of weakness. There are things we do exceptionally well, and there are other things we could improve upon. Take some time to look at your processes and focus on the ones where your organization usually struggles. How can they be improved? Do you need to improve the process, or provide additional education and guidance for staff members?
Looking at these areas of weakness now can go a long way to making your facility more efficient, to increase patient safety and, ultimately, to enhance regulatory compliance. Keep in mind that the list in this blog is just one steppingstone for improvements: would you like additional help? Download a free self-assessment for ambulatory surgery facilities (ASCs) from our website. Once you complete the assessment, if you have any questions, or would like to discuss other ways to improve your processes, please contact us for a free consultation.
The Consultant Pharmacists at OctariusRx provide guidance on safe medication management, survey readiness and cost savings to ambulatory healthcare facilities/surgery centers, senior care facilities and pharmacies We also help individual patients optimize their medications to improve their quality of life and save money. Contact us for assistance.
