5 Benefits of Conducting Mock Surveys of Your Facility

One of the primary goals of behavioral health management and consulting is to leverage clinical resources to help facilities improve patient outcomes. One of the clinical resources we utilize is the mock survey. Through mock surveys, we help behavioral health providers prepare for actual surveys from regulatory and accrediting agencies. Think CMS, JC, and HFAP.

Our mock surveys can help assess numerous areas within behavioral health. Surveys examine patient care, patient outcomes, risk management, operational governance, and more. No matter how they are structured and conducted, mock surveys will prepare your facility for the real thing.

Here are five benefits of conducting mock surveys of your facility:

1. Identifying Compliance Issues

Genuine surveys from regulatory and accrediting agencies are designed to identify compliance issues. Why wait for them to do so when you can identify deficiencies yourself with a mock survey? A mock survey gives you the opportunity to review your own compliance so that necessary corrective action can be taken before minor issues become major problems.

For all intents and purposes, mock surveys warn you in advance that compliance may be an issue. You then have an opportunity to bring your facility into compliance well in advance of regulatory and accrediting agencies knocking on your door.

2. Improving Quality of Care

Improving quality of care should be an ongoing priority for every healthcare organization. Even if behavioral health is not your organization’s only focus, improving care quality should be a top priority. Mock surveys can certainly enhance that endeavor. They can show both strengths and weaknesses in your quality of care. Strengths can be improved upon, and weaknesses corrected.

3. Reducing Financial Liabilities

When genuine surveys reveal compliance or quality of care issues, financial penalties may be forthcoming. Those penalties can be rather steep depending on the nature and volume of the infractions in question. But again, why wait for a genuine survey to reveal those things?

By preparing ahead of time with mock surveys, you reduce the risk of being deficient in compliance and thereby facing financial penalties. You limit your liability by giving regulatory and accrediting agencies little to find.

4. Reducing Reputational Liabilities

Hand-in-hand with financial liabilities are reputational liabilities. One thing your facility absolutely does not want is to develop a reputation for not being in compliance. Having such a reputation only encourages regulatory and accrediting agencies to dig deeper with every new survey.

You can protect your organization’s reputation by completing each genuine survey with flying colors. The best way to do that is to prepare ahead of time with mock surveys. Think of it like having the answers to an exam before you sit down to take it. Knowing the information ahead of time virtually guarantees you pass. That is good for your organization’s reputation.

5. Demonstrating Your Commitment

Finally, utilizing mock surveys demonstrates your organization’s commitment to both compliance and quality care. That commitment will generate both tangible and intangible returns quarter after quarter. You will improve quality of care, achieve better patient outcomes, and positively impact the bottom line.

If you would like to learn more about our mock surveys, get in touch at your earliest convenience. Mock surveys are just one of the many clinical resources we leverage to help clients improve patient outcomes. We can help you implement a mock survey strategy that improves your organization’s readiness for the real thing.

Surveys are part of the healthcare ecosystem. Your facility will be subject to them, so you might as well prepare via mock surveys.