AAAHC Releases 2024 Quality Roadmap

NAMES IN THE NEWS

AAAHC Releases 2024 Quality Roadmap

The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) announced the release of its 2024 Quality Roadmap. This comprehensive report, based on data from 1,615 onsite surveys conducted between January 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024, provides critical insights into areas of high compliance and frequent deficiencies in ambulatory healthcare organizations, according to a release. The Quality Roadmap is designed to support ongoing quality improvement efforts across a diverse range of ambulatory care settings.

“The 2024 AAAHC Quality Roadmap reflects AAAHC’s commitment to supporting ambulatory care organizations in providing safe, compliant and effective care,” said Noel Adachi, president and chief executive officer of AAAHC, in the release. “Aligned with our 1095 Strong, quality every day philosophy, this tool serves as a collaborative resource to promote continuous improvement and operationalize quality practices throughout the accreditation term, offering valuable benchmarks to advance patient and team safety.”

The Quality Roadmap provides in-depth insights based on data from surveys of organizations seeking initial or reaccreditation in the Ambulatory Accreditation and the Medicare Deemed Status (MDS) programs, according to the release. Organizations surveyed include ASCs, office-based surgery practices and primary care settings.

This report provides an ongoing analysis of the highest and lowest compliance findings for those AAAHC standards that were applicable to at least 95 percent of the organizations surveyed.

Findings on High Deficiency Standards

Data reveal that healthcare facilities can continue to strengthen operations and survey readiness by improving key processes. Outcomes highlight that facilities continue to have challenges in emergency preparedness, documentation management, credentialing and privileging, and infection prevention and control, according to the release.

Pharmaceutical management entered the top five high deficiency areas. These standards address pharmaceutical storage, security, recordkeeping, safe dispensing, diversion prevention, error prevention for high-alert medications or confused drug names, drug labeling, and vaccine storage and monitoring, according to the release.

Quality Improvement (QI) standards improved by 4.5 percent, reflecting progress across all organization types.

Findings on High Compliance Standards

In addition to high deficiency standards, the Quality Roadmap also indicates that accredited organizations have shown sustained compliance or notable QI in several key areas among ambulatory status and MDS standards.

Leveraging the Quality Roadmap in Your Facility

The report is designed to help providers understand common deficiencies and compare these findings to their most recent onsite report and annual self-assessment, according to the release. Facilities are encouraged to share and discuss findings with others in the organization to help drive decision-making on possible quality improvement studies or other corrective action. Additional guidance addresses patient safety toolkits and other AAAHC resources to improve and ensure quality. Specifically, AAAHC recently revised toolkits to help organizations establish, reevaluate and/or improve their allergy documentation and medication reconciliation.

“By examining trends and recognizing improvement areas like medication safety, organizations can implement focused strategies that directly enhance patient outcomes,” said Julie Lynch, RN, director of the Institute for Quality Improvement, in the release. “The insights from this year’s report provide a clear path for addressing ongoing challenges and leveraging incremental progress. This guidance empowers organizations to make meaningful improvements that support safer, higher quality care for every patient and team.”

Download the Quality Roadmap at www.aaahc.org/quality-institute/quality-roadmap/.