Accreditation Organizations

The process of healthcare facility accreditation was developed to assure verifiable quality care with definable standards. There are three major accrediting bodies: Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF). In a manner similar to hospital accreditation review, these accrediting organizations address aspects of office-based surgery: the facility's physical layout, patient and personnel records, peer review and quality assurance, operating room personnel, equipment, operations and management, and environmental safety. Anesthesia requirements for accreditation are very generalized. Despite this, the classification of the surgical facilities used by the accrediting organizations focuses on the level of anesthesia provided.