Accreditation for the Ambulatory Surgery Center

Abstract

Accreditation is an activity in which organizations participate to establish an image of quality and follow published standards for conducting the business of medicine and surgery. The process leads organizations through standards for healthcare delivery, facility requirements, and patient rights. It will also provide guidance for creating programs for quality improvement, infection control and risk management. Lastly, it sets standards for the personnel working at a healthcare facility which ensure that they are properly educated, trained, and vetted to do their jobs. Depending on the services offered, different standards will apply, but all vendors of accreditation have a basic set that applies to all facilities. Often, accreditation may be a necessary to even conduct business in the facility’s local legal environment. There are many different commercial vendors of accreditation and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services provides the US federal government’s source of accreditation necessary to bill patients on Medicare and Medicaid.