By Healthcare Facilities Today

Complying with state and federal regulations is critical for hospitals to receive funding, attract patients and most importantly, ensure safe, high-quality care.

In an article posted on Becker's Hospital Review website, Mark Pelletier, RN, COO of accreditation and certification operations at The Joint Commission, and Tom Barton, RN, field director at The Joint Commission, share five hospital accreditation survey mistakes to avoid.

1. Lacking a safety culture.

2. Not being prepared.

3. Failing to meet environment of care and life safety standards.

4. Failing to maintain records.

5. Lacking a sufficient performance improvement plan.

Surveyors look at the integrity and completeness of the plan as well as hospitals' efforts in meeting their goals, according to the article. Hospitals' ability to identify weaknesses in their organization and implement strategies to rectify them is more important to surveyors than their ability to always meet their goals, Barton said.

Read this article and more articles on hospital accreditation.