| |
Accreditation Matters: Healthier
Practices, Healthier Pets
By Elise Atkinson (AAHA)
 In
the United States, all hospitals
that serve people must be
accredited, that is, they must
undergo regular reviews and quality
checks to ensure they meet standards
of quality for every aspect of
medical care.
You might be surprised to learn that
the same is not true for veterinary
hospitals. When it comes to pet
health care, accreditation is
voluntary. In fact, only about 15%
of veterinary hospitals (also called
clinics or practices) are
accredited.
The American Animal Hospital
Association (AAHA) is the only
organization that accredits
veterinary hospitals — both general
and specialty practices — in the
United States and Canada.
Practices are evaluated against a
pool of more than 900 standards that
represent best practices in
veterinary care and hospital
management. A national taskforce of
veterinary professionals created and
continually updates the standards to
reflect the latest developments and
improvements in patient care,
surgery, medical records,
cleanliness, staff safety,
leadership, and a host of other
areas essential to excellent patient
care.
After applying to become accredited,
a veterinary practice usually spends
several weeks or months examining
and fine-tuning its systems,
processes, and protocols
(procedures) to be sure every aspect
meets AAHA’s standards of quality.
Often the whole practice team
becomes involved, which builds
collaboration across the entire
clinic — an important factor in
quality pet care.
When the practice is ready, AAHA
sends consultants — trained
professionals with veterinary
backgrounds — to conduct an on-site
evaluation.
Practices are awarded points for
each standard they meet, and they
must amass a certain score in order
to pass the evaluation.
Accreditation is by no means
guaranteed, and practices that pass
evaluations often host parties for
staff and clients to celebrate
achieving the milestone.
To maintain accredited status,
clinics must be re-evaluated every
three years. This ensures that every
AAHA-accredited practice represents
the most current thinking about what
constitutes the best health and
medical care for pets.
Pet owners can feel reassured about
the care their pets receive at
AAHA-accredited hospitals. There is
a saying among business leaders:
Good management is doing things
right. Leadership is doing the right
things. Accreditation assures you
that your veterinarian does both.
How do you know if a clinic is
AAHA accredited?
- Look for the AAHA logo and
plaque. They will be proudly
displayed on the door and in the
lobby.
- Use AAHA’s hospital locator
at
http://healthypet.com/ to
search for a specific hospital
or for one near you.
|
Helpful Information
