Standards and Policies

Public comment for v45 is now open!

Health care professionals, Surveyors, professional associations, and other stakeholders are encouraged to review the proposed v45 Standards additions and revisions and submit feedback. AAAHC also urges participants to share this opportunity with colleagues and professional networks to ensure broad and diverse input.

Use the following links to review and submit public comment. The public comment period is open from Wednesday, March 4, 2026 through Thursday, April 2, 2026 at 5:00 PM CT:

• Ambulatory Accreditation, includes Medical and Dental Home Recognition, Medicare Deemed Status Accreditation, and Patient-Centered Medical Home Certification
• Health Plans Accreditation and FEHB Health Plans Accreditation
• Advanced Orthopaedic Certification

If you have questions regarding public comment, please contact us at publiccomment@aaahc.org.

AAAHC regularly reviews its policies, procedures, and Standards to determine whether revisions are necessary. New Standards are developed and/or Standards are revised to address updates to legislative and/or regulatory requirements, pertinent guidelines and literature updates, technology changes, quality improvement or risk management updates, and expert consensus. New/revised Standards follow a process that includes review and approval from the AAAHC Standards Development and Expert Content Committees. Substantive revisions proceed to a public comment process. During this time, the public may review proposed changes and submit feedback through the Public Comment form, accessed through the AAAHC website. All comments received are reviewed by the Standards Development Committee (SDC) and the AAAHC Board of Directors, as applicable, prior to program version publication. AAAHC welcomes comments or suggestions about the Standards at any time. Outside the public comment period, send comments and suggestions to standards@aaahc.org.