AAAASF

The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, Inc.

The AAAASF was established in 1980.  Its primary mission is to ensure the highest quality patient care in the ambulatory surgery setting.  Today, with more than 700 accredited outpatient surgical facilities, the not for profit AAAASF is the largest accredited organization of its kind in the United States.

These days, there is more to having surgery than just selecting your surgeon.

AAAASF has designed an accrediting program to help provide patients with the assurance of safety and quality in all aspects of their outpatient surgery experience.  To achieve this goal, every AAAASF accredited ambulatory surgery facility must meet stringent national standards for equipment, operating safety, personnel and surgeon credentials.  The experts at AAAASF know that maintaining safety and quality in the ambulatory surgery facility is dynamic process, requiring constant review and revision of standards to reflect the current state of the art.  As the leading accrediting organization, AAAASF has developed the systems to effectively monitor and implement the latest advances in outpatient care delivery; advances that directly benefit patients.

AAAASF accreditation has been recognized as the gold standard.

The vast majority of ambulatory surgery facilities are unaccredited, operating independent of any peer review and inspection process.  A growing number of states throughout the country, however, are recognizing the need for mandatory accreditation.  AAAASF is in the forefront of legislative efforts to provide patients with safety and quality assurance in the outpatient surgery setting.  In 1996, California became the first state to mandate accreditation for all outpatient facilities that administer sedation or general anesthesia.  AAAASF was instrumental in the development of the California legislation was well as subsequent laws and regulations adopted by states such as Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas.  AAAASF accreditation guidelines have been recognized as the gold standard, providing the highest level of safety and quality in ambulatory surgical care.  The majority of private insurance carriers recognize accreditation by AAAASF for reimbursement of covered procedures.  AAAASF accreditation has been approved by the state Departments of Health in lieu of state licensure and with additional standards, has been approve for deemed status in lieu of Medicare certification.

AAAASF accredited facilities must meet stringent requirements, and must:
- Comply with applicable local, state, and federal regulations including fire safety,
   sanitation, and building codes for the protection of patients and medical personnel.
- Adhere to federal laws and regulations affecting their operation such as OSHA blood
   borne pathogens standards, hazardous waste standards, and the Americans with
   Disabilities Act
- Utilize advanced instruments and monitoring devices for patient safety during surgery
   and in the recovery period.
- Allow surgery to be performed only by qualified surgeons who have privileges to
   perform the same surgical procedure in an accredited hospital.  Surgeons must meet
   the standards, such as peer review and continuing medical education, required for
   operating in as accredited hospital.  Surgeons must be certified in surgical specialties
   recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties.  This is an important
   distinction between AAAASF and other organizations that may not require this high
   standard of qualifications for physicians operating within their accredited facilities.
- Provide for the safe administration general anesthesia, when appropriate, by a board
   certified or board eligible anesthesiologist or a certified registered nurse anesthetist.
- Other persons assisting in surgery and providing care for the patient in the recovery
   room include specially trained and certified surgical technicians, registered nurses, and
   licensed practical nurses.