NAMES IN THE NEWS

AAAHC Releases v44 Standards for Ambulatory Care

AUGUST 18, 2025

The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) released its v44 Standards, the latest update to its accreditation and certification handbooks, according to a release. The standards were developed through a transparent, collaborative process that included input from AAAHC surveyors, expert committees and accredited organizations. These updates reflect current best practices while introducing important enhancements.

With an effective date of December 16, 2025, v44 Standards offer greater clarity for ambulatory healthcare organizations. The key updates emphasize enhanced education for informed decision-making, stronger guidance for data collection and outcomes measurement, and greater sensitivity to patient preferences, cultural needs and expectations. In addition, the new standards improve alignment with individual states’ scope-of-practice requirements, ensuring that providers can operate safely in compliance with local regulatory frameworks. Updates to the structure and language of the standards further reduce administrative burden and support day-to-day implementation of quality practices, according to the release.

“These standards renew our promise to keep patients at the center of every decision,” said Noel Adachi, president and chief executive officer of AAAHC, in the release. “The v44 Standards also enable organizations to focus on what’s most relevant to their healthcare facilities through curation.”

The updates span all AAAHC accreditation and certification programs, including Ambulatory, Medicare Deemed Status, Advanced Orthopaedic Certification, Health Plans and Health Plans FEHB. The v44 Standards release underscores AAAHC’s 1095 Strong, quality every day philosophy, according to the release.

“Patient-centered care remains a guiding force in how we shape our standards to help organizations, and that’s especially clear in this update,” said Joy Himmel, RN, board chair, in the release. “These standards support diverse patient needs through communication, culture and education. At the same time, we’ve refined the structure and language of the standards to reduce complexity and promote quality improvement.”

To learn more about v44 Standards or to order a handbook for your program, please visit https://store.aaahc.org/handbooks.