What do we need to do to be in compliance with standards for follow-up phone calls after outpatient surgery?
The Joint Commission standards do not require a follow-up phone call. Standard PC.2.20 from the 2007 Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals and the 2006 Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Ambulatory Care allows an organization to define what data and information is gathered during assessment and reassessment. PC.2.150 allows organizations to determine timeframes for reassessment based on patient needs and the care, treatment and services provided. The organization must be able to justify the efficacy of the mechanism chosen based on the patients it serves and the services or care provided. In practice, most organizations, especially those performing surgical and/or invasive procedures on an outpatient basis, find the post-procedure phone call follow-up to be helpful from both a timeliness and patient-focused perspective. Organizations that have chosen to adopt the phone call reassessment must also consider how it will be accomplished for patients requiring follow-up on we
