January 13, 2019

Hi Team!

I’m excited to announce that last Friday The Joint Commission (TJC) -- which is our industry’s accrediting body--completed its week-long survey of Good Samaritan Hospital and all affiliated sites, and the results are nothing short of exceptional!

Over the course of the four day site visit, six TJC surveyors conducted rigorous evaluations of every department, facility and treatment center at Good Samaritan Hospital; Good Sam Glenway; Good Sam Western Ridge; Good Sam Cardiac Testing – Clifton; Good Sam Infusion Centers – Arrow Springs, Anderson and Cheviot; Good Sam Cardiac and Vascular Testing – Anderson; and Good Sam Imaging and Outpatient Lab – Anderson. Applying literally thousands of standards and conditions of participation, these surveyors objectively assessed our quality, safety, environment of care, and service, as well as the overall effectiveness of our operations and staff. I’m pleased to share there were no serious or conditional findings! In fact, we met all Medicare Conditions of Participation and, as a result, no return visit from TJC for review of corrective action will be required. This is significant because more than 70% of all TJC surveys result in serious findings and in a return visit!

The survey team was very impressed with our team members’ and physicians’ level of engagement in their work and said repeatedly they could feel the “heart and soul” of our mission at each encounter with our staff and physicians. The surveyors also shared that, “TriHealth is clearly fostering a learning culture that values transparency and continuous improvement,” and that our staff are dedicated to delivering the safest and highest quality care possible. Our commitment to safety, high reliability and zero harm was also complemented, and surveyors noted that EVERYONE they encountered could speak to our work in Leading the Way to Zero – something they do not find in many of the hospitals they survey! Our safety huddles received high compliments, as did the Schwartz Center Rounds, and our commitment to getting healthcare right for those we serve by embracing new population health models of care. And I’d like to give a special shout out to the team members and physicians of 8-Q Orthopedic Surgical Unit – TJC recognized 8-Q for national best practices in clinical excellence and indicated they will recommend other health systems visit and benchmark against this outstanding unit as they conduct future surveys! 

I’d like to thank and recognize the Good Sam leadership team who worked tirelessly to prepare for and coordinate this highly successful accreditation survey – Jamie Easterling, Executive Director of Operations, Paula Niederbaumer, CNO, Helen Koselka, MD, CMO, and our accreditation coordinators, Melissa Helmer and Sue Sansone. I’d also like to thank the Good Sam and TriHealth leaders and team members who volunteered their time on the Accreditation Committee, because this successful survey simply could not have happened without such a significant team effort! 

Finally, a BIG thank you to every physician and team member who directly or indirectly contributed to the survey process at Good Sam this past week. You have built a culture that is mission driven valuing continuous improvement, learning and collaboration as part of how we deliver care – and that was apparent throughout this survey! Congratulations on this well-deserved independent recognition and important milestone in our journey to get healthcare right!