The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), founded in 1979, is an American organisation which accredits ambulatory health care organizations, including ambulatory surgery centers, office-based surgery centers, endoscopy centers, and college student health centers, as well as managed care organizations, such as health maintenance organizations and preferred provider organizations.[1]:550 AAAHC has been granted "deemed status" to certify ambulatory surgery centers for Medicare by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
AAAHC is one of three organizations that accredits office-based surgery practices, the others being the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities.[2]
In 2009 the AAAHC added the Medical home to the types of organizations that it accredits. It is the only accrediting body to offer on-site surveys for organizations seeking Medical Home accreditation. [3]
AAAHC continuously reviews its standards and revises current standards and adds new standards as required by the constantly changing health care arena. Each year in August there is a public comment period where these revisions and additions are presented for review and comment by interested parties.
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The Accreditation Association was formed in 1979 by six member organizations including the American College Health Association, the ASC Association, and the Medical Group Management Association.[1]:549
The Accreditation Association has sixteen member organizations:[4]
Standards are reviewed and updated annually to keep up with current trends and technologies in the health care arena. AAAHC surveyors are volunteers: physicians, dentists, podiatrists, pharmacists, nurses and administrators who are actively involved with ambulatory health care.
AAAHC offers three terms of accreditation: three years, one year, and six months. The terms are assessed by the level of compliance from the organization seeking accreditation. An organization may also receive a deferral or denial of accreditation if compliance is not met.
In 1999, the AAAHC founded its non-profit subsidiary, the AAAHC Institute for Quality Improvement (AAAHC Institute) to offer performance measurement opportunities and related quality improvement/educational programs to ambulatory health care organizations. The AAAHC Institute has conducted and published 45 studies.