According to AAHHS, some small and rural hospitals had trouble meeting the expectations of other accreditation programs because the requirements were not pertinent to smaller facilities.
“As we developed the AAHHS hospital accreditation program, we talked one-on-one with the staffs to hear their feedback and ensure we addressed their needs through our standards and survey process,” Meg Gravesmill, vice president and general manger of hospital operations for AAHHS, said in a news release. “Our peer-review accreditation system involves a comprehensive, two-way approach that focuses on the services provided by small hospitals.”
The accreditation program involves an on-site visit from surveyors. “The AAHHS surveyors we’ve recruited for this new offering have decades of experience working in small, rural hospitals in addition to surveying expertise,” Ms. Gravesmill said. “Because they understand these hospital environments, AAHHS surveyors quickly establish collegial relationships, and this rapport can generate significant improvement in the organizations’ key focus areas.”
Achieving AAHHS accreditation will help small hospitals compete with their larger urban counterparts as well as help staff prepare for their annual review from the state, according to the release.
