2013 Standards: FAQs
Here are answers to some common questions about the revised AAAHC Standards for accrediting Health Plans/Managed Care organizations.
The new health plan standards were announced through both a public comment period and through a written communication to all currently accredited health plans during the last quarter 2012. Health plans received an electronic copy of the new 2013 Health Plan Standards Handbook in early 2013.
The revised Standards will apply for all applications for survey that we receive January 1, 2013 and later.
The new 2013 Health Plan Standards Handbook is now available. Currently accredited health plans were provided a copy of the Handbook in early 2013. If you would like a Handbook, contact AAAHC for further information about how to obtain one.
The Standards marked “Must Fully Meet” are considered critical for an accreditable health plan. Failure to fully meet them may result in a denial or revocation of accreditation.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) contains requirements for entities that will accredit qualified health plans participating in state health insurance exchanges. These requirements include collecting quality measures, creating databases for analysis, and making data and benchmarks available to all such accredited health plans on a periodic basis. AAAHC has included the requirement to report quality measures in its 2013 Standards for all accredited health plans.
No. These Standards are referred to as “special” because they only apply to specialty health plans such as a Dental Health Plan or a Behavioral Health Plan.