Any patient, family member or guardian that has a safety or quality of care concern may follow the hospital Chain of Command policy to report comcerns. The employee may also contact the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO). The telephone number is 800-994-6610. The email address is complaint@jcaho.org . The hospital will take no discipinary action against an employee that reports safety or quality of care concerns to the JCAHO.

The Joint Commission

www.jointcommission.org

In March 2002, The Joint Commission, together with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), launched a national campaign to urge patients to take a role in preventing health care errors by becoming active, involved and informed participants on the health care team.

The program features brochures, posters and buttons on a variety of patient safety topics. Speak Up encourages the public to:

Speak up if you have questions or concerns, and if you don't understand, ask again. It's your body and you have a right to know.

Pay attention to the care you are receiving. Make sure you're getting the right treatments and medications by the right health care professionals. Don't assume anything.

Educate yourself about your diagnosis, the medical tests you are undergoing, and your treatment plan.

Ask a trusted family member or friend to be your advocate.

Know what medications you take and why you take them. Medication errors are the most common health care errors.

Use a hospital, clinic, surgery center, or other type of health care organization that has undergone a rigorous on-site evaluation against established state-of-the-art quality and safety standards, such as that provided by Joint Commission.

Participate in all decisions about your treatment. You are the center of the health care team.

For more information on the Speak Up program please visit the link below.

http://www.jointcommission.org/PatientSafety/SpeakUp/