Qushae McNeill
Knowledge Activity: Understanding TJC’s
Tracer Methodology (Baccalaureate)
Student instructions
1. If you have questions about this activity, please contact your instructor for assistance.
2. You will review the chart of Ella Myrick to complete this activity. Your instructor has
provided you with a link to the Understanding TJC’s Tracer Methodology (BS) activity.
Click on 2: Launch EHR to review the patient chart and begin this activity.
3. Refer to the patient chart and any suggested resources to complete this activity.
4. Document your answers directly on this activity document as you complete the activity.
When you are finished, you will save this activity document to your device and upload
this activity document with your answers to your Learning Management System (LMS).
Glossary
The Joint Commission (TJC): The Joint Commission is an organization that accredits and certifies
more than 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. (Facts about
The Joint Commission, 2017)
Tracer methodology: an important component of The Joint Commission’s on-site survey
process that involves an evaluation method in which surveyors select a patient or patients and
use the medical record(s) as a roadmap to assess an organization’s departments to evaluate the
organization’s compliance with selected standards and requirements issued by TJC. TJC
surveyors retrace all care processes experienced by a patient during their episode of care, and
the patient’s medical record serves as a guide. (Facts about The Joint Commission, 2017)
Elements of Performance (EP): specific performance standards that TJC requires to be in place
for an organization to provide safe, high quality care, treatment and services. (Facts about The
Joint Commission, 2017)
The activity
You are the Health Information Director at the General Hospital, which has been accredited by
The Joint Commission (TJC). You have been notified that surveyors are currently onsite and, as
part of their survey process, are utilizing the tracer methodology. They will be evaluating the
EHR Go Knowledge Activity: Understanding TJC’s Tracer Methodology (Baccalaureate) 1
HBK1002.4
Archetype Innovations LLC ©2021
, direct care of patients currently admitted to the hospital and will also need access to the
hospital’s EHR.
One of the patients whose care and medical record the surveyors will be examining is Ella
Myrick. This patient is currently an inpatient admission at your hospital and is being prepared
for discharge.
General Hospital’s Vice President tasked you with auditing Ella Myrick’s chart utilizing TJC’s
tracer methodology. She asked you to emulate a surveyor and identify services and
departments that the patient has come in to contact with during her hospital stay thus far. This
information will help identify which departments to prepare in advance. She also advised you to
examine specific Elements of Performance for this patient as it pertains to medical record
documentation and standards.
Utilizing the partial excerpt below regarding Record of Care, Treatment and Services (RC)
standard from The Joint Commission, and the chart of Ella Myrick in EHR Go, answer the
questions below.
EHR Go Knowledge Activity: Understanding TJC’s Tracer Methodology (Baccalaureate) 2
HBK1002.4
Archetype Innovations LLC ©2021
Knowledge Activity: Understanding TJC’s
Tracer Methodology (Baccalaureate)
Student instructions
1. If you have questions about this activity, please contact your instructor for assistance.
2. You will review the chart of Ella Myrick to complete this activity. Your instructor has
provided you with a link to the Understanding TJC’s Tracer Methodology (BS) activity.
Click on 2: Launch EHR to review the patient chart and begin this activity.
3. Refer to the patient chart and any suggested resources to complete this activity.
4. Document your answers directly on this activity document as you complete the activity.
When you are finished, you will save this activity document to your device and upload
this activity document with your answers to your Learning Management System (LMS).
Glossary
The Joint Commission (TJC): The Joint Commission is an organization that accredits and certifies
more than 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. (Facts about
The Joint Commission, 2017)
Tracer methodology: an important component of The Joint Commission’s on-site survey
process that involves an evaluation method in which surveyors select a patient or patients and
use the medical record(s) as a roadmap to assess an organization’s departments to evaluate the
organization’s compliance with selected standards and requirements issued by TJC. TJC
surveyors retrace all care processes experienced by a patient during their episode of care, and
the patient’s medical record serves as a guide. (Facts about The Joint Commission, 2017)
Elements of Performance (EP): specific performance standards that TJC requires to be in place
for an organization to provide safe, high quality care, treatment and services. (Facts about The
Joint Commission, 2017)
The activity
You are the Health Information Director at the General Hospital, which has been accredited by
The Joint Commission (TJC). You have been notified that surveyors are currently onsite and, as
part of their survey process, are utilizing the tracer methodology. They will be evaluating the
EHR Go Knowledge Activity: Understanding TJC’s Tracer Methodology (Baccalaureate) 1
HBK1002.4
Archetype Innovations LLC ©2021
, direct care of patients currently admitted to the hospital and will also need access to the
hospital’s EHR.
One of the patients whose care and medical record the surveyors will be examining is Ella
Myrick. This patient is currently an inpatient admission at your hospital and is being prepared
for discharge.
General Hospital’s Vice President tasked you with auditing Ella Myrick’s chart utilizing TJC’s
tracer methodology. She asked you to emulate a surveyor and identify services and
departments that the patient has come in to contact with during her hospital stay thus far. This
information will help identify which departments to prepare in advance. She also advised you to
examine specific Elements of Performance for this patient as it pertains to medical record
documentation and standards.
Utilizing the partial excerpt below regarding Record of Care, Treatment and Services (RC)
standard from The Joint Commission, and the chart of Ella Myrick in EHR Go, answer the
questions below.
EHR Go Knowledge Activity: Understanding TJC’s Tracer Methodology (Baccalaureate) 2
HBK1002.4
Archetype Innovations LLC ©2021
