Brenna Wolfe, RN, BSN, the Clinical Supervisor and AAC at the Wayne County Health Department shares how she tracks evidence over the Accreditation Cycle:
According to Brenna, “The Accreditation Cycle happens so fast. When the Site Visitors leave, you can finally breathe. The next thing you know a year has passed and then another.” She explains that her first year as the Agency Accreditation Coordinator was a “jump in and swim” learning experience. And that, in the past, evidence wasn’t gathered until they received their 90-day notification letter. She vowed that after their 2018 site visit, she would not let that happen again. As soon as the Site Visit Team left, she ordered a paper calendar even though, she says, “I know most use electronic calendars!”
Brenna purchased a two-year calendar and plugged in the evidence needed and the activity number on dates that she needed to request evidence. She explained that many of their staff don’t keep emails for three to four years. So, she put a six-month reminder in her calendar to prompt her to reach out to staff and ask for communications from anyone that may have had contact with the State, County Commissioners or the Board of Health. This system has helped her collect numerous pieces of evidence including one-time pieces of evidence. According to Brenna, “the feedback that I have received from staff is that they like how I ask as we go along instead of waiting for the 90-day window.” She added, “it also helps me to not feel so overwhelmed.”
According to Brenna, “everyone has their own methods to collect evidence, but this calendar keeps tasks from piling up and provides more than a day or two staff to gather evidence. In short, the calendar works for me and our agency. Good luck to all the agencies that have their site visits this year!”
If you have any questions for Brenna about her calendar system, you can email her at brenna.wolfe@waynegov.com