Top of page 

In This Issue:

• Why Your Healthcare Staffing Partner Should Be Joint Commission Certified

• Assembling the Right Team to Open a New Office

• Are ChatGPT & AI Threats in Your Data Security Training?
  

Why Your Healthcare Staffing Partner Should Be Joint Commission Certified

By: Adam Muncaster

The Joint Commission

The Joint Commission (TJC) exists “to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value.” TJC has accredited and certified over 22,000 organizations and programs, including hospitals, behavioral health centers, and healthcare staffing companies, in the United States. TJC’s most prestigious Gold Seal of Approval is granted to healthcare organizations which demonstrate continuous compliance with their rigorous standards.

 The Gold Seal of Approval

TJC’s Gold Seal of Approval is the highest award an organization can receive. It is considered the gold standard in the healthcare industry. To receive it, organizations must undergo an in-depth evaluation process. Specially-trained professionals review and monitor how well an organization lives up to TJC’s quality standards by evaluating the organization’s processes and commitments to quality in areas such as patient safety, human resources, leadership, technology, education, and rights. The Gold Seal is also a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s dedication to delivering staff who provide safe and quality patient care. We are honored to say that Medix was the recipient of TJC’s Gold Seal of Approval in November, 2022 with no recommendations for improvement.

What Having a TJC-Certified Healthcare Staffing Partner Means for Your Organization

Having a TJC-Certified healthcare staffing partner means you get the highest-quality and best-fitting talent, ultimately resulting in better patient care. This is due to strict certification criteria related to processes around talent screening, placement, and retention. And this benefit is not short-term, right after a certification is earned; it is long-term, far after a certification is initially granted. Because to maintain a certification, there are ongoing requirements to meet. Here at Medix, we regularly review all of our certification requirements to make sure we not only retain our certification, but also—and more importantly—continue to deliver talent which helps our clients provide safe and effective care.

“We also have to adhere to specific quality and retention measures. For example, regarding retention, we have to be at 95% or above for all of our talent to be eligible to return to work and continue working for us,” said Valerie Voll, Medix’s Vice President of Healthcare. “And to maintain our certification, we have to pass ongoing audits by the Joint Commission.”

How TJC Helps Review Potential Staffing Partners for Your Organization
A TJC certification means you can rest assured that a potential staffing partner is meeting high quality-control standards around talent acquisition and candidate vetting, translating to efficient operations and effective temporary and permanent talent when and where you need it most. When a company has earned the Gold Seal of Approval, there is a high likelihood that you will gain a partner which allows you to be agile, flexible, and scalable. However, it is up to your organization’s leadership to identify an experienced culture fit for your organization—a certified partner who can quickly become an extension of your business and help you scale up and down quickly in the ever-changing world of healthcare.

To learn more about TJC’s mission and certifications, visit TJC’s website.

To learn more about how we help healthcare organizations build flexible, talented teams, visit Medix’s website.

About the Author

Adam Muncaster

Account Executive, Healthcare

Medix

Adam Muncaster has been with Medix, a leader in the healthcare recruitment space, for 3 years and counting. During this time, he has held roles as Recruitment Advisor, Client Success Manager, and Account Executive, now overseeing partnerships with health systems and medical groups across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Top of page 

Assembling the Right Team to Open a New Office

By: Jack Schwaba

One of the most significant business decisions you will make is the strategic choice of your office’s location. In many markets, the incentives offered by landlords to new tenants make relocation more appealing than renewing a lease in your existing space, and before signing any lease renewal you should evaluate all the options in your area.

If you decide to open a new office, whether as a relocation, new start-up practice, property purchase, or second office, having the right team in place is paramount and can make the process successful, profitable, and maybe even fun!

Experienced professionals with a healthcare focus provide the expertise needed to address issues such as patient flow, privacy and compliance, medical technology integration, parking and accessibility requirements, and aesthetics. When choosing your team, seek out experienced, healthcare-focused professionals to fill each role and you will end up with an office that will serve you and your patients for years to come.

Real estate agent: The real estate agent helps to make sure the entire new office process goes smoothly and is one of the first roles you will need to identify and fill. Your agent should provide guidance in choosing the best location, negotiate the most competitive rates and terms with the landlord or seller, and assist in assembling the rest of the team. He or she will be able to advise you on current market conditions, vacancies, costs to open a new office, and help you avoid common pitfalls in choosing a suitable space. Should you choose to lease an office, your agent’s experience in representing healthcare tenants can also help you achieve concessions that landlords only make available to the highest quality tenants. If the agent is well-connected within the healthcare community, he or she can also introduce you to the other players you will need on your team and help them all to work together on your behalf. Your agent’s services are typically paid for by the landlord or seller, so there is usually no out of pocket cost to you.

Attorney:A real estate attorney plays a critical role to ensure that all the legal terms of the lease or purchase are drafted to protect your interests in the short term and long term. Choosing an attorney who specializes in real estate transactions will help the legal negotiations with the landlord or seller to move faster and thereby reduce legal fees.

Lender:Many office projects will require financing for additional build-out, equipment and furniture, and operating capital, and it is essential to bring in a practice lending specialist. Many major banks now have special departments who exclusively deal with commercial loans for healthcare providers and are able to provide rates and terms not available to other customers. The lender will be closely involved with the agent and the attorney to ensure that the requirements of the underwriters are included in the terms of the lease or sale, and will help to determine the size and quality of office that you can afford.

Architect:An experienced, healthcare-specific architect is the key to transforming your new space into your ideal office. He or she will meet with you, your equipment and technology providers, and building engineers and determine the best way to achieve your design ideas while completing your new office. The architect is responsible for the overall design, obtaining permits and complying with building codes, and is also in charge of coordinating the work of the engineers, contractors and suppliers. Through constant oversight and communication with the whole team, the architect holds everyone accountable to meet deadlines and makes sure your space is done on time, on budget, and will meet your functional and aesthetic requirements.

Equipment and technology providers: If your new office will require new equipment or technologies, your providers will meet with the real estate agent and architect early in the process to ensure that the design can accommodate the new equipment and they will coordinate delivery and installation within the proper timeframe set by the architect. The terms you negotiate during the lease or purchase combined with the loan package you receive will usually determine the amount you can invest in your new office’s initial equipment, so it is very helpful for these providers to work with your lender and real estate agent early in the process as well.

General contractors and sub-contractors: Your architect will be able to recommend several general contractors with a good track record for their quality of service. The contractor has the task of building what was designed—within the budget and on time. Your architect will recommend whether it makes the most sense to hire a general contractor on a negotiated basis, or to competitively bid the project to multiple contractors. In either scenario, costs, communication, and service are key determinants in choosing the right contractor.

When you assemble your team, you want to ensure that everyone is an expert in his or her specialty and collaboratively works together with the goal of making the process go as smoothly as possible. Having the right team causes the project to be on time and on budget and of the highest quality. Equally as important, having the right team protects your time and frees you to focus on your practice and enjoy your new office.

About the Author

Jack Schwaba

CARR Pennsylvania, Inc.

I’m a commercial real estate agent for CARR here in the Pittsburgh market. CARR is a commercial real estate firm that focuses exclusively on clients in the healthcare sector with leasing and purchasing their practice space.

Before I started helping healthcare providers in Western Pennsylvania, I was a student athlete at Northwestern University where I was a member of the football team and graduated in 2017 with a degree in History. I’ve been in various sales roles throughout my career, but nothing has felt quite like home like making sure our healthcare providers have the best practice space for their business. Off the clock, I’m a sucker for live music and if there’s a big concert in town, or even a karaoke night, you know I’ll be there. Staying active is important to me and whether it’s going for a hike, kickboxing, or a game of pickup basketball, I’ll be outside moving when the sun is shining.

Top of page