What does Accreditation Mean for My Care?
Health care consumers (and that’s all of us) should feel empowered to ask questions, not only about a physician’s personal credentials and training, but also about the practice as a whole.
If you see the AAAHC Certificate of Accreditation, you can be confident that some of your questions are already answered.
What is AAAHC?
The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc. (AAAHC) is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1979 to assist ambulatory health care organizations in improving the quality of care provided to patients. We do this by establishing, reviewing, and revising Standards, measuring performance, and providing consultation and education.
What is accreditation?
Accreditation is an external, independent review of a health care delivery organization against nationally recognized standards and its own policies, procedures, processes, and outcomes. In other words: Is the organization delivering safe, high-quality patient care in the way that it says it will?
AAAHC accreditation means that the organization participates in ongoing self evaluation, peer review, and education to continuously improve its care and services. The organization also commits to a thorough, onsite survey by AAAHC surveyors, who are themselves health care professionals, at least every three years.
Below are some examples of what AAAHC looks for when surveying an organization.
Note: Organizations considering accreditation should obtain a copy of the appropriate Accreditation Handbook for a comprehensive list of Standards.