- What is accreditation?
Accreditation is a voluntary 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 self-assessment by the organization as well as a thorough review by AAAHC’s expert surveyors who are themselves practicing health care professionals.
The accreditation certificate is a symbol to others that an organization is committed to providing high-quality care and that it has demonstrated its commitment by measuring up to AAAHC’s high standards. The true value of accreditation, however, lies in the consultative and educational process that precedes the awarding of the certificate. It is the self-analysis, peer review, and consultation that ultimately helps an organization improve its care and services.
- What are standards?
The standards, published in the Accreditation Handbook for Ambulatory Health Care, describe organizational characteristics that AAAHC believes are essential to high-quality patient care. They relate to such areas as quality of care and quality management and improvement, clinical records, surgical and pharmaceutical services, environmental safety, governance, administration, and professional development.
The standards have been developed over a period of more than 20 years by individuals presenting the highest levels of achievement in clinical practice and health care management. The standards are by definition dynamic and changing as medicine and health care change to reflect the highest levels of care.
- Why is accreditation so important?
Ambulatory health care organizations value accreditation as a measure of professional achievement and quality of care. They welcome the AAAHC survey as a constructive learning experience. And the certificate of accreditation has become a benchmark of quality not only to those involved in health care delivery and management, but to the general public.
Because of the excellence of AAAHC’s standards and the thoroughness of its survey procedures, many third-party payors such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, commercial insurance carriers, and government agencies recognize and accept accreditation by AAAHC as meeting their requirements for reimbursement. Professional liability insurance carriers acknowledge that accreditation is a valuable indicator of quality and frequently consider it in evaluating an organization applying for coverage.
Encouraged by such recognition, AAAHC continues to expand its survey activities, to enhance its educational efforts, and to refine and improve its standards and survey procedures.
- A fact about us
Rocklin Oral Surgery is an outpatient surgery center. The accreditation process through AAAHC is similar to the process that hospitals go through as an inpatient facility, however, AAAHC is geared for the outpatient facility. Rocklin Oral Surgery is the only oral surgery facility in the greater Sacramento area that has gone through the accreditation process.
