A new poll among U.S. hospitals found half are unprepared for virtual accreditation surveys, according to Healthcare Global.
The poll of hospital administrators by ARC Facilities, a facility management software firm, found that 65 percent of hospital facilities keep paper building records.
Only 8 percent said they had digitized their compliance documents.
The COVID-19 pandemic is helping drive the need for hospitals to go digital, but many still use binders filled with compliance documents, completed repair reports, inspection logs and other information that must be shared with surveyors.
The Joint Commission suspended official survey and accreditation activity at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the organization started testing a virtual process for life safety and environment of care surveys at two facilities in March.
Cathryn Jakicic is healthcare industries editor of FacilitiesNet.com. For more information on hospital campuses and other medical facilities, click here.
