On a fundamental level, a Quality Auditor has a vital role in the success of a healthcare practice, whether traditional or complementary medicine. They are the quality specialists the healthcare practice turns to for procedural oversight and approval, compliance necessities, and to improve on existing systems. A quality auditor acts as an advisor on all processes and procedures that the practice is obligated to put in place to ensure long-term success as a business.
Why are Quality Auditors beneficial to a healthcare practice?
Hiring a quality auditor is never a bad decision, but you do want to ensure you make the best decision. Training an employee who is familiar with the healthcare sector to be a QA will add a unique and tailored role that fits the needs of the practice. They will be able to easily spot the flaws and weaknesses in your systems or processes and be able to communicate and collaborate more effectively to find the right solutions.
Auditors who are specific to the industry will be able to identify the gaps in performance and processes and measure them against quality standards. From there, they will be able to provide recommendations accordingly and provide thorough follow-through.
Key Tip: Hiring a quality auditor is a great move. Hiring a quality auditor familiar with the healthcare sector is even better.
What is the importance of Quality Auditing in Healthcare?
It is always advisable to have a member of your team who is a certified quality auditor, or at the very least, someone who possesses the same skills. Particularly in the current times when the world is facing a global pandemic with COVID-19, practices need to be certain they are abiding by changing standards and regulations.
With the arrival of coronavirus in Australia came a myriad of new rules that needed to be implemented quickly, but effectively. Healthcare practices which had an existing member of staff with the capabilities to ensure these procedures were done correctly were automatically better off than practices which needed to bring in an outside consultant. Many practices with an existing quality competency were able to sign-off new safety strategies without having to wait for third party approval.
One of the best ways to give your business the upper hand would be to invest in upskilling an internal member of staff with the right qualification in quality auditing. Nominate an existing member of staff or ask for a volunteer and offer to fund their qualification. You will be providing them with the skills required to do the job for your business, without having to go through the rigmarole of finding a new, trustworthy employee to hire.
Key Tip: It may be more useful to invest in training an existing staff member to run your quality audits.
Safeguarding your healthcare practice
Anyone running a busy healthcare practice knows the pressure the job entails. You are responsible for many people on a daily basis, often during stressful and unpleasant times in their lives. The temptations to let compliance slip or delay decisions relating to quality can have dire consequences for your practice. The last thing you want is for your practice to face issues with non-compliance.
One way to safeguard your practice from compliance and quality issues is to invest in training your staff each year with a Diploma of Quality Auditing (BSB51615). They will learn valuable information and gain crucial skills through units like Lead and Manage Team Effectiveness, Manage Project Quality, Participate in a Quality Audit, Facilitate continuous improvement, and many more.
By investing in your staff, you will add a vital skillset to your business. You’ll ensure that your compliance checks are correct and completed as a priority, and not just a task that can drop down the list of things to do.
Key Tip: Further education, like a Diploma of Quality Auditing (BSB51615), is a smart investment for any practice.
Invest in people to keep your doors open
Working in or running a healthcare practice is a time-consuming and stressful job to undertake on a normal day, without the added stress of ensuring all your practices and process are compliant and meet the required standards.
There are several things that you can do to ensure your practice stays on the right track. Whether you choose to hire an inhouse quality auditor, or you invest in your existing staff and offer them further education opportunities – both options are essential steps you can do to support your practice with better processes and procedures.
Quality auditing for healthcare practices has never been more critical. In a world that is dealing with a global pandemic and the necessary restrictions in services – healthcare practices, more than other businesses, have an obligation to their staff and clients to stay safe and vigilant. Regular quality audits by a qualified quality auditor is a logical way to ensure your doors remain open to the community your serve.