The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, (Accreditation Association/AAAHC), was established in 1979 to advance and promote patient safety, quality of care and measurement of performance. A private non-profit entity, it has developed a solid reputation as an advocate of high quality health care for more than 30 years. The Accreditation Associates is the largest accreditation organization in the ambulatory health care arena.

Accreditation is a process through which an ambulatory health care organization is able to measure the quality of its services and performance against nationally recognized standards. The accreditation process involves a self-assessment by the organization and a thorough on-site review by the Accreditation Association’s surveyors. It is this self-analysis, peer review and consultation that ultimately helps an organization improve its care and services.

The AAAHC Certificate of Accreditation demonstrates an organization’s commitment to provide safe, high quality services to patients. It sends a signal of confidence to the community it serves and increases an organization’s competitive edge in the marketplace. In addition, accreditation may satisfy certain regulatory requirements for licensure or certification, and facilitate third-party reimbursement and insurance premium reduction. In fact, the Accreditation Association had been granted “deemed status” to survey ambulatory surgery centers for Medicare by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Individuals representing the highest levels of achievement in clinical practice and health care management have developed these standards over a period of over 30 years. The standards are by definition, dynamic and reflect the evolving changes in medicine, health care and technology.

Following the on-site survey, AAAHC renders the accreditation decision based on the surveyors’ findings and other information gathered during the survey process. Accreditation may be awarded for a period of time ranging from six months to three years, depending on the level of compliance with standards.

SDMI is an ACR accredited Facility