Big, exciting news here at Adonis Aesthetics! The staff at Adonis have been working 15 hour days to prepare for a Joint Commission survey and we passed! We are very excited to be the only office based surgery practice in Pueblo to be Joint Commission (JCAHO) accredited.

What does this mean? Adonis Aesthetics pursued this voluntary process to demonstrate their commitment to provide high quality care in a safe office environment. “I truly believe this is the way to ensure that we are safely conducting our patient care and that our patients can be reassured of the level of quality care they receive at our facility.”

We have been actively preparing for this initial survey since the end of June. This was an intense effort to meet more than 150 standards and also come up with almost 600 page policy and procedure manuals. It was at times exhausting, but immensely rewarding process for me as well as for my staff who sometimes pulled 15 hour days to prepare for the survey.

Dr. Shinn’s thanks her staff for working so hard to help Adonis Aesthetics pass this survey.

We just had a successful Initial Joint Commission survey and we are waiting for the final approval and a goal seal. I am profoundly relieved and grateful that we were able to complete the survey successfully. It was so daunting at times that I was truly discouraged and wondered if we would ever make it. There were many naysayers who pointed out that we couldn’t afford to do Joint Commission with our current strapped resources and that this was not at all necessary and that there are plenty of good doctors who operate without accreditation. I wanted to be sure that if we were claiming that we were doing the highest quality patient care and that our mission was to provide the type of surgery and procedures that our patients were assured of the highest quality, then we had to put money where our mouth was.

During the journey of over 5 months of preparing for the survey, I learned a lot about the commitment of our staff. We also had a lot of turnovers during that time that included a business manager, nurses, a receptionist, and a medical assistant. At some point, it felt like a game of musical chair with so many changes going on. Even with a stable staff, going through a JCAHO survey is a stressful and significant event as anyone who had to go through the survey will attest. To do this while there was such turmoil in human resources was, shall we say, insane. Through it all, however, I found a true family of coworkers who shared the same mission and commitment for what we do. It was clear that they were doing this not for the money or any immediate compensation, but for the passion they had for what they believed in.

Laurie came in to take the bull by the horn, figuratively speaking. She was an extremely competent office manager of different specialties for quite some time. She hasn’t had an experience of going through Joint Commission, however, and this was a great learning experience for her. She had an amazing insight into what the facility needed and what was required to meet the standard that we were preparing. The calm and organized way of approaching any crisis was refreshing and reassuring.

Shonna was the steam engine behind the whole operation. Her enthusiasm was always infectious and her bubbly personality was sunshine that permeated the whole office. She was an instructor for PCC Massage Therapist program before and was also very familiar with OSHA regulations which were instrumental in our compliance with many aspects of Joint Commission requirements. She has learned a lot as well about the overall safety aspect of patient care and office based surgery set up. Shonna’s abundant energy and enthusiasm was felt by not only the staff but by the patients as well and the overall mood of the place would elevate whenever Shonna was around. Her continued motivational rally was exactly what doctor would have ordered for uplifting our office’s morale throughout the preparation phase.

David was a god-sent for our OR. He came on board in a nick of time to get us organized and prepared for the survey. David has worked in St. Mary Corwin and other surgery centers in the past as a circulating and scrub nurse and is intimately knowledgeable with all aspects of outpatient surgeries, including cosmetic surgeries. His calm and collected manner and his willingness to learn new things were pivotal in having our place complete the survey. His vast experience with OR operation for more than a decade was the exact expertise we needed to have our place prepared.

Skye was the amazing gem we discovered who provided the vital role in getting our place surveyed with such a success. Although Skye’s background was in medical aesthetics and she was only started to go through radiology technician program, she was quick to learn and was brilliant in assimilating a large amount of information in such a short time. She was trained by Danny Flores who was the instructor at Colorado Technical University’s Surgical Technology Program. The personal one-on-one training she received from Danny was priceless in getting Skye ready for the surgeries and the survey. She was also instructed by Sharon Kissel from CMHIP who taught her sterilization techniques. It was a pure joy to watch her grow and blossom in such a short time and achieving so much. Skye is a great asset to us and loved by all.

Through it all, Kristin and Elva were the pillars who held the place firmly rooted in our patient care. The position of receptionists and patient coordinators are so important in any organization, but especially in a cosmetic surgery place like ours where immediate and friendly voice of Kristin and Elva make our patients feel welcome and invited.

Kristin’s front office management skill was superb and made the complex tasks appear effortless. Kristin has learned a lot about the running a cosmetic practice during the preparatory time and she was so instrumental in getting the office organized.

Elva is, by now, the longest employed staff and has weathered with the practice through thick and thin. Elva’s sweet disposition is appreciated by our patients greatly and through the preparation time, Elva has learned a great deal about patient safety and overall goals of the Joint Commission. With Elva’s gentle persuasion and encouragement, our patients experience the commitment of our office for quality patient care firsthand, whether it is for scheduling or counseling they receive.

Although Katie was not directly involved with Joint Commission survey preparation, her endless energy and willingness to learn shined thorough the preparation time and she was transforming from a Medical Aesthetician to the one who operated within an accredited facility, being educated on so many aspects of Joint Commission standards.

It was a long and arduous half a year for us to go though the survey and have transformed the way we deliver our patient care. With every turn and step of the preparation, we have distilled into the core group of staff whose dedication was almost palpable and who have demonstrated beyond the doubt of their commitment for excellence in patient care. I have heard such phrases before and thought they were just coined for some publicity, but having witnessed the evidence among my staff, I realize that such commitment does exist and that I was not just working with coworkers or staff but that this was truly my family as well. I am deeply grateful and blessed.