June 30, 2006

JCAHO Jeopardy Championship

Alex Trebek was nowhere in sight, but that didn't stop three MGH ambulatory care teams from battling for the grand prize in the JCAHO Jeopardy Championship held June 23 in the Simches Center. The competitors — the Metabolic Mavericks from the Endocrine Unit, the Central Arteries from Vascular Surgery, and the Vincent team from the MGH Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology Service — tested their knowledge in a variety of categories ranging from infection control to medication management. Although the Metabolic Mavericks were the leaders throughout much of the game, the Vincent team emerged as the victors after providing the correct answer to the final Jeopardy question.

The MGH version of the game is a creative way for outpatient practices to prepare for the upcoming, unannounced Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) survey. A total of 19 teams from the ambulatory care practices participated in the contest, answering questions from weekly quizzes distributed by e-mail. Teams had three days to answer questions and submit them to the Practice Support Unit, which coordinated the game. The three teams with the highest cumulative scores competed in the championship.

A reception was held at the conclusion of the championship, where all of the teams were presented with trophies in honor of their hard work. To learn more about the JCAHO survey, visit www2.massgeneral.org/jcaho.

Vincent team members Patricia Hojnowski-Diaz, RN, and Nelson Cabral