Do you work with office-based surgery practices accredited by AAAHC?

Yes, where the facility is surveyed to Life Safety and physical environment standards.

Can you help prepare a new surgery center for its first AAAHC survey?

Yes. Initial readiness includes a full mock survey, documentation system setup and vendor calendar.

Accreditation readiness

AAAHC Life Safety Survey Readiness

AAAHC accredits ambulatory surgery centers, office-based surgery practices and other ambulatory facilities, including under its CMS-deemed program for Medicare-certified surgery centers. The facilities and environment portion of the survey covers the physical plant, Life Safety, emergency preparedness and the documentation behind them.

AAAHC-accredited surgery centers rarely have an in-house facilities department, so the facilities chapter is where an outside readiness review returns the most value.

What an AAAHC readiness review covers

Facilities and Environment chapter: physical plant, Life Safety, utilities
Life Safety Code compliance under ambulatory health care occupancy requirements
Emergency generator, medical gas and fire protection documentation
Operating room temperature, humidity and pressure monitoring
Emergency preparedness plan and drills
Document organization for the survey

Medicare deemed status surveys

Surgery centers accredited under AAAHC's Medicare deemed status program are surveyed to the Life Safety Code and NFPA 99 requirements CMS has adopted, in addition to the AAAHC standards. SRC surveys to both.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. The mock survey covers the facilities and Life Safety portion of the AAAHC survey, including document review and staff interviews.