Thanking Every Member of the Alice Hyde Team for a Fantastic Joint Commission Critical Access Hospital Survey

Earlier this afternoon, Alice Hyde’s Joint Commission Critical Access Hospital Survey came to a close following five days of intensive review by a team of three surveyors who arrived at our hospital on Monday morning and have spent this week reviewing all aspects of our operations, to include conversations with many of you, policies and procedures, and patient care-related documentation and processes.

Joint Commission surveys are a routine part of the accreditation process we undergo to demonstrate and validate that we provide high-quality, patient-centered care in an atmosphere that is focused on safety and grounded in the best practices that inform how we care for patients at hospitals across our country.

But this survey was special: it represented the final administrative hurdle our organization needed to complete, in order to remain on-track to make the transition to Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status later this fall. Also, because this survey was focused on our upcoming transition to CAH status, it was more intensive and comprehensive than a routine Joint Commission survey.

Wow! What a survey! I have rarely been part of a survey that went as smoothly and included as many compliments and positive call-outs from Joint Commission surveyors as you received this week. Our survey team was consistently impressed by your openness, your willingness to lean in and troubleshoot any issues that arose, and the care and thoughtfulness you displayed each day, no matter what clinic, office, clinical group, or department surveyors were engaged with.

Successful surveys like ours this week don’t happen by accident. They are the result of many months of hard work and preparation, which was led by our Quality team of Brenda and Jessica, and the hard work and dedication of clinicians, support staff and care teams across our organization. Each day, our surveyors sang your praises, complimenting your focus on patients, your attention to detail, and your drive to make sure that everyone who visits our hospital feels safe, welcome and gets the very best care, as close to home as possible.

Earlier this week, Surveyor Robert “Rex” Smith shared his thoughts on our organization, as he wrapped up his work surveying our outpatient clinical services: “I rate hospitals on a scale of ‘would I bring my family here?’” he said. “I would bring my family to Alice Hyde.”

I know I speak for leaders across our organization when I say that we are so proud of the work you do each day, caring for our community. Our work is not always easy or straightforward, but it makes a tremendous impact on the lives around us; it helps make our community a better place to work, live and play.

As we continue to prepare for our Critical Access Hospital transition, I want to share my pride in and thanks for the work you do each day – for embracing change and for shining a light on the beauty each of you brings to those we serve.

Congratulations and thank you for all that you do for our patients and each other!