Georgia Southern University Health Services measures excellence in a number of distinct ways: through measuring program & service satisfaction; through meeting the highest performance standards, and through complying with national clinical standards of care.

We expect to be accountable to students and the larger University community through regular patient satisfaction surveys and meeting internal performance standards, as exemplified by being a recipient of the Georgia Southern University Award of Excellence.

An equally important standard of excellence is complying with the highest national standards in ambulatory care. The goal is to earn accreditation by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), the nationally recognized accrediting body for ambulatory healthcare organizations.

Health Service has been a recipient of the coveted Georgia Southern University President’s Staff Team Award for Excellence in Service to Students. This award is given annually to the departmental staff team identified as giving consistently excellent service to students. We are particularly pleased with this award since students play a key role in the selection process.

All programs and services will be delivered in a manner meeting the accreditation standards of the AAAHC. At the core of insuring the quality of clinical care and other health center programs & services are:

Quality Improvement

Pursuing structured quality improvement activities focusing on improving clinical care health services operations through best practice guidelines

Monitoring qualifications of personnel, including independent verification of education, licensure, certification, and continued compliance with continuing education requirements in accordance with AAAHC standards

Compliance with ethical and legal clinical and operational practice guidelines

Diagnosis and treatment are accurate and timely

Treatment is consistent with clinical findings

Referrals are timely and appropriate

Clinical notes are legible and in the specified format

Care is delivered with concern for avoiding unnecessary expense for the patient

All articulated clinical and operational guidelines are followed consistently

Any/all other elements of care, including health education programs and services, are deemed appropriate for monitoring

Satisfaction Surveys

A Patient Satisfaction Survey is administered on a regular basis to evaluate users of Health Services. This survey has been utilized for several years as an important tool for patient feedback. Survey results have been consistently positive over the years. Department categories such as Quality Care, Cost Effectiveness, Confidentiality, Facility Appearance, Hours of Operation, and Overall (total department) received average ratings of 3.50 or higher on a 4.0 scale with 4.0 being “Very Satisfied” and 3.0 being “Somewhat Satisfied.” Essentially, this equates to an “A” grade from students. The only category to receive a rating below “A” was Timely Care with a 3.33 average (B+) rating.

Compliance Standards

There are a number of importance external compliance standards that measure the ability of a healthcare organization to ensure that all state and federal regulations are met and that the credentials of clinical staff are up-to-date and in compliance. The Georgia Southern University Health Services is in strict compliance with regard to licensure and the credentials of the clinical staff. The Health Services also has in place appropriate procedures to minimize the sources and transmission of infections, including adequate surveillance techniques in keeping with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards for proper identification, management, handling, transport, treatment, and disposal of blood borne pathogens and infectious medical waste. Similar oversight is provided to ensure that the Health Services Laboratory is in compliance with the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) regulations. Compliance standards are also strictly met with regard to Hazardous Chemicals/Workplace Chemicals (including MSDS postings) and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) guidelines.