New York Department of Health Authorizes AAAASF to Accredit Office-Based Surgery

January 22, 2008 - The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF) is authorized, as designated by the New York Department of Health, to be used by office-based surgery practices to meet new accreditation requirements in the state.

The New York law requires office-based surgery performed by physicians requiring moderate sedation, deep sedation, or general anesthesia, and certain liposuction procedures be performed in a setting that has obtained and maintained accreditation from an entity approved by the state health commissioner.

"AAAASF has worked with the State of New York over the last several years to assist in the development of the new law, and we believe that New York has taken a critical step to help ensure patient safety by requiring careful oversight of the office-based ambulatory medical and surgical care environment," said AAAASF President Dr. Alan Gold.

In New York and throughout the country, AAAASF already accredits more office-based surgery facilities than any other accrediting body and is reaching out to all physicians to offer a helping hand.

"We offer a concise, user-friendly set of standards that focuses on patient safety and best practices. Over the last several years, we have refined our standards and have tried to eliminate the busy work for facilities," said Jeff Pearcy, executive director. One component of the law requires reporting of unanticipated events after surgery to the state. AAAASF has already been requiring this type of reporting along with random case reviews for the last seven years.

"I have seen the accreditation industry incubate during my years of service at AAAASF, and my support for the process has never wavered. The significance of third party inspection, accreditation and peer review has gained tremendous validity as more states are incorporating accreditation concepts into laws, “ said Dr. Gold. "CMS recently deferred future Medicare inspections to deeming authorities such as AAAASF," he added.

For more information, visit www.aaaasf.org.