The revisions will be effective with the publication in Feb. 2010 of the 2010 Accreditation Handbook for Ambulatory Health Care, according to the release.
The new chapter, chapter seven, includes all standards for infection prevention, control and safety. The chapter pulls standards from several existing chapters into one chapter for the ease of the user and also includes new standards, according to the release. It is a core chapter that applies to all organizations seeking accreditation and is the first new core chapter to be added since the first edition of the Handbook.
“The new chapter emphasizes the importance that the Accreditation Association has always placed on the highest standards for infection control and safety in ambulatory organizations,” John Burke, PHD, AAAHC executive director, said in the release. “This new core chapter, as well as other chapters in the 2010 Handbook, reflect current best practices and are designed to enhance the high quality of patient care provided by the
organizations we accredit. Organizations seeking to achieve or maintain AAAHC Accreditation should familiarize themselves with all standards changes and additions for 2010.”
Beginning with the 2010 Handbook, all AAAHC/Medicare deemed information, which appears in chapters throughout the Handbook, will also be contained in a separate Handbook section, entitled Policies and Procedures for Ambulatory Surgery Centers Seeking AAAHC Accreditation and Medicare Deemed Status. This new section provides user-friendly directions and details for organizations seeking AAAHC/Medicare deemed
status, according to the release. Included is a reference document demonstrating the “crosswalk” between AAAHC standards and Medicare requirements for ASCs.
Some of the other revisions to the AAAHC standards include:
• Additional requirements for risk management (Chapter five)
• New directions for demolition, construction or renovation of ambulatory organizations (Chapter eight)
• Changes to pharmaceutical standards (Chapter 11)
• Modifications to various other standards
Learn more about AAAHC.
