NAMES IN THE NEWS
Time Running Out to Provide Feedback on AAAHC’s Proposed v44 Standards Revisions
MARCH 18, 2025
The public comment period for the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care’s (AAAHC) proposed revisions to the v44 standards for ambulatory healthcare and health plan programs will close at 5:00 pm CT on March 29, 2025.
“The proposed revisions are largely modifications of existing standards and focus on a multitude of aspects of an organization’s processes,” says David Shapiro, MD, CASC, former president and current member of the ASCA Board of Directors and past board chair of AAAHC. For instance, one proposal would expand the specific elements about which a patient is informed and require documentation of the patient’s or caregiver’s understanding of the information provided. Another proposed revision would, if adopted, access the organization’s inclusion in the clinical record of an augmented set of patient characteristics such as patient-identified gender, race and ethnicity.
AAAHC encourages healthcare professionals and stakeholders to review the proposed v44 standards revisions and submit feedback through the public comment form. The organization also urges participants to share this opportunity with colleagues and professional networks to ensure broad and diverse input from as many stakeholders as possible.
“Commenting is open to everyone, not just AAAHC-accredited ASCs,” Shapiro says. “It is quick, it is easy, and it is very important.”
AAAHC has proposed approximately 12 standards to be modified. Each successive page of the web-based application clearly displays the standard as written, the proposed deletions and additions, and the proposed way it might be scored, Shapiro says. The text is followed by “agree” and “do not agree” buttons to select on each page as well as a free text field to provide an explanation of your opinion.
When formulating responses, Shapiro suggests incorporating some or all of the following considerations.
- Is the proposed standard revision appropriate for your organization?
- Is the wording clear and unambiguous?
- Would compliance present a significant administrative and/or operational burden on your ASC?
- Would the proposal positively impact the quality of patient care delivered at your facility?
“Regardless of your assessment of the proposed standard revisions, AAAHC seriously reviews and considers every perspective communicated, and the opinions and suggestions received very directly inform the final set of standards released,” Shapiro says.
Submit your feedback by March 29.