Health Center earns top honors

The IU Health Center achieved top accreditation for the sixth consecutive time this year by consistently meeting nearly 600 standards.\nOver the course of two days, surveyors examined each aspect of the Health Center for compliance to guidelines set by the Accreditation Association of Ambulatory Health Care. Hugh Jessop, executive director of the IU Health Center, described it as an “umbrella accreditation,” one that covers all areas of the facility including wellness, women’s health \nand counseling.\nThis year, 96 percent of the standards were exceptionally met, said Pete Grogg, associate director of the Health Center. The Health Center was compliant with the remaining \nstandards.\nStaff members said there was little preparation for the visit from the surveyors because the facility is run by those standards on a daily basis. The Health Center was recently renovated, and cleanliness is a priority. Nancy S. Macklin, director of nursing, compared the preparation to “cleaning \nfor company.”\nJessop was confident in the overall performance of the facility as well, recognizing that people do not generally get excited to come to a health center, regardless of its standards \nof care.\n“Nobody comes here because they want to; they come here because they need to,” \nhe said.\nBecause of this, the \ncenter tries to make the experience as pleasant as possible. Jessop said 90 percent of appointments were called on time and 98 percent were called within 15 minutes \nof arrival. \nThe recent inspection consisted of reviewing charts, documenting processes like fire drills and reading minutes from departmental meetings. The surveyors also made sure policy books were in place, and all staff members’ credentials were acceptable.\nStaff members were even interviewed on the spot by surveyors. Macklin said that in a typical accreditation, employees might be asked questions such as, “What would you do if \nsomebody fainted?”\nThey might also be asked to retrieve records for a certain type of patient. For example, the surveyors might want to see an example of an IU student who came to the Health Center and was then taken by ambulance to the hospital. Staff would then have to produce the record of a patient who fit \nthat description.\nThe accreditation process is not mandatory, according to an IU press release. In fact, IU has to pay a substantial fee to receive accreditation. However, Grogg said it is worth the cost, because it not only gives the facility greater credibility, but it also allows administration to see from an unbiased opinion which areas need \nimprovement.