Working with Your State Survey Agency: Some AMDA Chapters Have Positive Relationships
The results of a 2000 survey of AMDA state chapter presidents revealed that
they would like to develop or improve relations with their state survey agencies
(SSA). In an effort to expand on this project, AMDA staff sent out another
survey to state chapters last May asking for more details on their current and
past relationships with SSAs.
According to this survey, only 2 state chapters--Missouri and Maine--have
a formal Physician Advisory Board or similar structure that addresses
quality of care issues with their SSA. While many chapters may not yet
have a formalized committee or process for working with SSAs, we
believe that state chapters have had a number of informal interactions
that could be used as a springboard for development into a formal
physician advisory board or similar structure.
In nine states--Florida,
Georgia,
Maine,
Massachusetts,
Minnesota,
Missouri, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island--AMDA
chapters have interacted with their state survey agency on some level
related to the survey process. In Georgia, state surveyor department
officials presented at the chapter's program on inspections in January.
The Rhode Island Medical Directors Association has a steering committee
that meets approximately 2 times per month with the director of the
SSA. Medical directors in Michigan have worked with their SSA to define
elopement and assist with the development of special rules and
regulations for Alzheimer's unit demonstration projects. In Minnesota,
chapter leaders have reviewed many survey guidelines published by their
SSA on MRSA, VRE, diabetes, side rails, restraints, and admissions
screenings.
The survey also revealed that three chapters are involved with
surveyor training in their states: Georgia, Missouri, and Rhode Island.
Additionally, at least six state chapters have collaborated with other
state stakeholder organizations on work related to the survey process
or quality of care improvement.
AMDA has developed an online resource to make it easier for state
chapters to contact their SSAs and other stakeholder organizations. For
each chapter, we have developed a set of State Fact Sheets that
features contact information and hyperlinks to the state survey
agencies, legislature, governor, and long term care organizations. To
obtain the AMDA State Fact Sheets online, follow this link.
To assist your chapter in developing a relationship or structure
that allows your members to address quality of care concerns with the
SSAs, please consider the examples cited from state chapters in this
article. Alternatively, you may find that collaborating with state
stakeholder organizations prior to approaching the SSA is a better
approach in your state.
For more information on AMDA chapters' work on the survey process,
contact Meg LaPorte, Government and Public Affairs Specialist, at
410/740-9743 or e-mail to meglaporte@amda.com.
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