The California Medical Association’s (CMA) Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ) recently signed a contract with The Joint Commission that allows California acute care hospitals to choose whether they want an IMQ physician surveyor to participate in their accreditation surveys. Hospitals must, however actively choose to include an IMQ surveyor on their electronic application. CMA believes that IMQ surveyors are uniquely qualified to participate in hospital surveys due to their knowledge of state requirements, first-hand experience in California practice and the ability to motivate medical staff members to participate more fully in the hospital’s patient safety processes.

CMA members are encouraged to talk with their hospital administrators about the importance of including IMQ on their hospital surveys.  IMQ’s physician surveyors are experienced, actively practicing medical staff leaders. In addition to completing The Joint Commission's training, they understand California’s unique practice environment and regulatory requirements.  Because they are “in the trenches” of patient care, they offer pragmatic suggestions for improving patient safety systems.

The benefits of requesting an IMQ surveyor are:

• Inclusion of a medical staff leadership conference during the survey to assure that physicians’ voices are heard.  IMQ surveyors help engage the medical staff in quality improvement and patient safety activities as well as share pragmatic suggestions to enhance key medical staff functions


• Participation of California-licensed physician surveyor who is trained in the laws and regulations governing health care in California and understands the many factors unique to our state, such as the corporate bar, staffing ratios, Paul Gann Blood Act and burn care provisions


• A California physician surveyor who is there for the sole purpose of helping hospitals and medical staffs provide the best possible care to their patients.

Hospitals that do not choose to have an IMQ physician surveyor participate in their survey will be surveyed according to The Joint Commission's survey methodology used in other states, as described in the regular Joint Commission 2014 Survey Activity Guide.

For more information, see the IMQ website.

Contact: Leslie Anne Iacopi, (415) 882-5167 or liacopi@imq.org.