Most Common Deficiencies For AAAHC Chapter 8 "Facilities and Environment"
The most common deficiencies our surveyors see for Chapter 8 “Facilities and Environment” of the AAAHC Accreditation Handbook for Ambulatory Health Care:
The emergency generator must have an emergency shut-off valve outside near the generator, not on the unit itself.
The CDC recommends a station in the waiting room with hand sanitizer, mask, tissue and a sign stating to please cover your cough.
Emergency drills must be scenario-based, conducted once per quarter, and be documented. If you are a Medicare certified facility, fire drills must be conducted once per quarter.
You should have an annual fire inspection. If your local fire marshal does not come automatically, call to request an inspection with a written report.
Someone should be designated as the Safety Officer and keep a monthly inspection check sheet.
All staff should know how to access the SDS – Safety Data Sheets.
All staff should know the location of the spill kit, fire extinguishers, and the emergency medical gases shut-off valve.
Refrigerators with medications, grafts or supplies must have a continuous monitoring device.
What type of security plan do you have? Patients/visitors should not be able to access the clinical area unaccompanied. Doors to the clinical area should be locked. The only door accessible to the public should be the main entrance.
The janitor closet should not have wet rag mops. Housekeeping should use a clean mop daily.
Stay tuned to learn how HealthCon can assist reopening your facility.
To access AAAHC’s recent update addressing the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on upcoming surveys, visit AAAHC Update
To learn how HealthCon can assist with your accreditation/certification needs, visit www.healthconcorp.com or contact us at kmighion@healthconcorp.com
*Sources:
“AAAHC Quality Roadmap 2019” report: applies to Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Office-Based Surgery practices, and Primary Care settings.
HealthCon Consultant survey experience