AAAHC accreditation software, built to help you achieve a three-year accreditation.
wai runs booking, clinical notes, consent, patient messaging, payments and reporting for ambulatory organisations, and keeps the clinical records, consent and quality data an AAAHC surveyor reads against the v44 Standards. Built to help you achieve a three-year accreditation.
Standards grouped by category, each with a three-letter code, curated to the services you provide.
8 categories and 28 named standards under the v44 Standards. Open a category for its named standards.1
01Patient Rights, Responsibilities, and ProtectionsPrivacy, informed consent and confidentiality of every patient's clinical information.4 named standards
Protection of patient privacy
Informed consent obtained and documented
Confidentiality of all clinical information
PRR.250, documented informed consent for vaccinations
08Anesthesia and Surgical ServicesPatient selection, monitoring and recovery matched to the procedures and anesthesia the organisation offers.2 named standards
ASG.110, Patient Selection
ASG.160, observation and monitoring after anesthesia with equipment appropriate to the patient's condition
Documents, records and practice, compared with each other on site.2
01
Policies and procedures
Current, written, and matching what staff actually do.
02
Clinical records
A sample that reflects your workload, clinicians and patients, read against the Clinical Records standards.
03
Personnel files
Orientation, training and competence for staff, from the Personnel worksheet in the Self-Assessment Tool.
04
Credentialing and privileging files
Evidence of training, experience and current competence for each privilege granted.
05
Logs and audits
Training logs, incident reports, infection control audits and emergency drills.
06
Quality improvement studies
Studies that show a problem, a goal, its causes, the actions taken and a remeasurement.
07
Procedure observation
At surgery centres and office-based surgery, a live procedure at the highest anesthesia level offered.
How AAAHC decides an accreditation term
A three-year term when the organisation is in substantial compliance with the Standards.3
Three-year termSubstantial compliance, and no reservations about continuing high-quality care
Three-year term with intracycle activitiesAccredited, with further assessment of ongoing compliance during the term
DenialNot in substantial compliance with the Standards or with AAAHC policies and procedures
RevocationAAAHC may revoke accreditation at any time without prior notice
1,095
days in an AAAHC accreditation term. AAAHC expects readiness on every one of them, with an annual attestation in between surveys.3
10 days
to submit a Plan of Correction under v45 policies for most programs, with 30 calendar days from the request to make the corrections.4
42.1%
of primary care organisations surveyed in 2025 were cited on EMG.170, emergency drills, the most common deficiency in the 2026 Quality Roadmap.5
Each Statement of Requirement is rated from Fully Compliant to Non-Compliant, rolled up from Yes or No ratings on its Elements of Compliance.
Level 2 standards cover patient care or patient and staff safety. Level 1 standards cover the rest. Level 0 standards are in test mode or a grace period.
Where a Plan of Correction is required, it is submitted in 1095 Engage with evidence of compliance.
A Notice of Survey is posted for 30 days before a scheduled survey. Medicare Deemed Status surveys are unannounced.
What changes with the v45 Standards
v44 is in force today. v45 applies to surveys on or after 15 December 2026.
In force on 15 October 2026 are the v44 Standards, effective since 16 December 2025, with added emphasis on patient education for informed decisions, data collection and outcomes, cultural and communication preferences, and state scope of practice.
AAAHC released v45 on 18 August 2026 for every accreditation and certification program. It applies to surveys conducted on or after 15 December 2026.6
v45 adds cybersecurity and AI governance standards covering governance and oversight, risk management, staff training, patient consent, data security and privacy, and vendor management. Most new AI standards start at Level 0 and do not count toward the accreditation decision.
Standard identifiers in v45 may differ from v44. The identifiers on this page are v44's.
Where the CMS Conditions for Coverage apply
An ambulatory surgical center with a Medicare agreement meets the Conditions for Coverage in 42 CFR Part 416. A survey by an accreditor CMS has approved can stand in for the state survey.
Subpart C of Part 416 sets 14 conditions for coverage, from compliance with state licensure law (416.40) and governing body and management (416.41) to medical records (416.47), patient rights (416.50), infection control (416.51) and emergency preparedness (416.54).7
Under 42 CFR 416.26, CMS may deem an ASC compliant when a national accrediting body it approves provides reasonable assurance the conditions are met. Without deemed status, the State survey agency surveys the ASC, and CMS validates deemed ASCs on a sample basis.
AAAHC has held Medicare Deemed Status for ASCs since 1996, and CMS renewed it in December 2024. Medicare Deemed Status surveys are unannounced and use the Accreditation Handbook for Medicare Deemed Status.
Part 416 applies to ASCs with a Medicare agreement. Physician practices and office-based surgery outside it answer to state law, which in several states requires accreditation.
Which states require office-based surgery accreditation
Five states that tie sedation and anesthesia in an office to accreditation or a state licence, each read on the state's own site on 15 October 2026.8
State
What the state requires
Where AAAHC fits
New York
Public Health Law 230-d. Private practices performing surgery with moderate or deep sedation, general anesthesia or major nerve blocks, or liposuction of 500 cc or more, must be accredited and report listed adverse events within three business days of the occurrence of the event.
Surgery using anesthesia that risks loss of life-preserving protective reflexes must take place in an accredited, licensed or certified setting. Accredited settings report adverse events to the Medical Board within 5 days, or 24 hours for an ongoing urgent threat.
An accreditation agency approved by the Medical Board of California.
Florida
Offices performing Level II or Level III surgery, or liposuction removing more than 1,000 cc, register for office surgery and are inspected before registration. Accredited offices are exempt from annual Department of Health inspection.
Listed by the Board of Medicine as a nationally recognized accrediting agency.
Massachusetts
Chapter 343 of the Acts of 2024 created a Department of Public Health licence for office-based surgical centers using general anesthesia, moderate or deep sedation, or liposuction. Check DPH for the status of its regulations.
Current AAAHC accreditation qualifies a center for a one-time provisional licence.
Nevada
NRS 449.442. An office offering general anesthesia, conscious sedation or deep sedation needs a permit and current accreditation by a nationally recognized organization approved by the Board, shown within 6 months of the permit.
Confirm the Board's approved list before you rely on any accreditor.
What AAAHC accreditation software should run
The systems the practice runs every day, with the records an AAAHC surveyor samples kept inside them.
01
Appointments and booking
Online booking from your own website, every clinician's diary read from their calendar, reminders, rebooking after a missed visit and waitlist offers when a slot opens.
Online booking at any hour, with a reminder before the visit.
For the business
Fewer missed appointments, and cancelled slots offered to the waitlist.
On the record
Every booking, reminder and change, with a time and a name.
02
Billing and payments
Card payments into your own Stripe account, the cancellation policy shown at booking, invoices, statements and reconciliation, with an export for your accountant.
A clear price and policy before they commit, and an invoice in their app.
For the business
Payments reconciled against visits, with an export for your accountant.
On the record
What was charged, when, against which visit, and the policy the patient saw.
03
AI scribe and clinical notes
The note, letters and referrals written from the consultation, cited to current guidance and peer reviewed research, with the transcript beside the note, for the clinician to read, edit and sign.
The clinician's attention stays on them during the consultation.
For the business
Less time spent writing notes after clinic.
On the record
A contemporaneous note, signed, with the time, the signature and the source it cites.
04
Follow-ups and patient messaging
WhatsApp, email and calls in one thread per patient, replies drafted in the patient's own language for your team to approve, a response clock on every new enquiry, and recalls a clinician approves.
A reply in the language they wrote in, approved by your team.
For the business
More enquiries answered within the hour, when they are most likely to book.
On the record
The whole conversation on one record, with response times.
05
Referrals, consent and audit trails
Recording consent taken at booking, referrals written from the visit, patient flags for controlled drugs and safeguarding notes, and every read of a record logged against a named account.
For each category, the records wai keeps, how you produce them, and what changes for patients and the business.
Patient Rights, Responsibilities, and Protections
Consent and privacy recorded on the record, with every read of it logged.
Recording consent taken at booking, and the consent discussion in the signed note
Role-based access enforced in the database
Every read and change of a record logged against a named account
Messages and information in the language the patient writes in
On request. Asked how a patient consented, open the visit. The booking notice and the consent discussion sit together.
For patients
Told what will happen, in words they understand, before it happens.
For the business
Consent questions answered from the record in minutes.
Governance
Reports the governing body can read every month, from the system the practice runs on.
Front desk, response, takings and website reports
Named accounts and roles, so accountability is visible
A business associate agreement signed before any encounter
The AI scribe's output read, edited and signed by a clinician
On request. Asked what the board sees, show the monthly reports and the minutes that discuss them.
For patients
An organisation whose leaders watch quality closely.
For the business
Board decisions made on current numbers.
Credentialing and Privileging
Your credentialing file stays with you, and the record shows who did what under which account.
Named accounts for every clinician, with roles set by the organisation
The signing clinician named on every note and letter
Every action logged against the account that took it
Procedures on the record, by clinician, for peer review
On request. Asked who performed a procedure, the signed note names the clinician, the time and the account.
For patients
Treated by a clinician the organisation has checked for that procedure.
For the business
Privileging reviews backed by what each clinician actually did.
Quality
QI studies built on data the practice already collects.
Response times on every enquiry, in the reports
Reminders, missed visits and rebooking, counted
Signed notes that can be sampled and audited
Patient feedback and complaints on each patient's thread
On request. Asked for a baseline and a remeasurement, run the same report for two periods.
For patients
Care that measurably improves year on year.
For the business
Improvement projects that also fill the diary and cut missed visits.
Clinical Records
Every encounter signed, timed and retrievable, with any change visible.
Notes written from the consultation, with the transcript beside the note
Each note and letter signed by the clinician, with the time
Results on the record as they arrive
Every read and change logged, so editing and access are auditable
On request. Pull any sampled record. Note, transcript, signature and time appear together.
For patients
A record that is right, so nobody asks them twice.
For the business
Record reviews that take minutes, before and during the survey.
Care Management and Coordination
Instructions, letters and follow-up written from the visit and sent the same day.
Referrals and letters written from the visit, signed by the clinician
Follow-ups and recalls a clinician approves
Messages in the patient's own language, approved by your team
Online booking and reminders for the follow-up visit
On request. Asked what a patient was told to do after a procedure, open the thread and the signed letter.
For patients
Clear instructions, in their language, before they leave.
For the business
Fewer calls after surgery, and follow-ups that are kept.
Safety
Incidents reviewed from the record itself, to the minute.
The audit trail of every record, by account and time
Patient flags for controlled drugs and safeguarding notes
Referrals and consent recorded against the visit
Messages and calls on one thread per patient
On request. Asked for the sequence of an incident, export it from the audit trail for your review.
For patients
Care that improves after something goes wrong.
For the business
Incident reviews in minutes, kept in your own incident process.
Anesthesia and Surgical Services
The consent, the operative note and the discharge instructions on one record.
Pre-procedure questions answered online, by voice in any language
The operative note signed with the time
Written discharge instructions sent to the patient's app or inbox
Follow-up calls and messages after the procedure on the patient's thread
On request. Asked to trace a case, open it from booking to the post-operative call.
For patients
Prepared before the day, and looked after once home.
For the business
Fewer cancellations on the day and fewer avoidable calls afterwards.
What patients and the business gain
Sourced figures on response time, clinician hours after clinic, and attendance.
7x
An enquiry answered within the hour is nearly seven times as likely to become a real conversation.9
30%
Clinicians using an ambient scribe did 30% less work after hours.10
23%
Patients sent a notification before their visit were 23% more likely to attend.11
How wai produces AAAHC evidence on request
Where each item lives, and how it is produced during the survey.
Asked forWhere it livesHow it is produced
Clinical record sampleThe patient record, beside the transcriptOpen any sampled encounter to see its note, transcript, signature and time together.
Informed consentThe booking and the noteThe recording notice the patient saw at booking, and the consent discussion in the signed note.
Allergies and outside reportsThe patient recordResults and letters on the record as they arrive, read and signed by the clinician.
Pre and postoperative instructionsThe patient's threadThe written instructions sent, when, and in which language.
Access, editing and retentionEvery recordWho read or changed it, under which account, to the minute.
Incident reviewThe record and its historyThe exact sequence of events, from the audit trail, for your own incident process.
Staff accountabilityAccounts and rolesWho holds which role, and every action taken under it.
QI study dataReportsResponse times, missed visits, rebooking and takings, for a baseline and a remeasurement.
AAAHC survey checklist, by category
What to have ready before the surveyor arrives.
01Before the survey
Confirm your 1095 Engage Profile lists every service, anesthesia level and procedure, since it drives the standards curated for you.
Complete the Self-Assessment Tool against your curated standards, and act on the gaps.
Post the Notice of Survey for 30 days before a scheduled survey.
Read the Quality Roadmap for your setting, and check its top deficiencies against your last survey report.
02Clinical Records and Care Management
Sample records across clinicians and services, and check each for history, findings, orders, care and authentication.
Check allergies, sensitivities and reactions are documented in every sampled record.
Check outside results and consultations were reviewed and incorporated.
Check written pre and postoperative instructions were given.
03Patient Rights and Governance
Show how informed consent is obtained and documented.
Show who can access records, and the audit trail behind access.
Show governing body minutes that review quality, risk and QI outcomes.
If you use AI tools, show who approved them, how clinicians oversee them and how patients are told.
04Quality and Safety
Two or more QI studies with a baseline, a goal, causes, actions, remeasurement and communication.
Incident and near-miss reports, each reviewed, with corrective action.
Emergency drills each quarter, scenario based and documented.
Infection prevention program written, current and followed.
05Credentialing and surgery
Privileges defined procedure by procedure, with evidence of training and current competence.
Patient selection criteria that match your anesthesia levels and resources.
A procedure scheduled for observation on survey day, with a backup case.
State requirements for office-based surgery met where you operate.
Questions an AAAHC surveyor asks
Drawn from AAAHC's own surveyor guidance, with where each answer lives.
01Do your patient selection criteria reflect your scope, resources and anesthesia capabilities?
What to show
Written criteria, approved by the governing body, and cases that followed them.
Where wai has it ready
Pre-procedure answers and the signed note are on each case, for the cases you sample.
02Show me the informed consent for this procedure.
What to show
What the patient was told, when they agreed, and who documented it.
Where wai has it ready
Recording consent is taken at booking, and the consent discussion is in the signed note.
03How are allergies documented and verified?
What to show
Allergies, the reaction and its severity in every sampled record.
Where wai has it ready
Allergies sit on the patient record and appear in the note the clinician signs.
04Walk me through one of your QI studies.
What to show
The baseline, the goal, causes, actions, remeasurement and how it was shared.
Where wai has it ready
Response, missed-visit and rebooking reports give the baseline and the remeasurement.
05How do you know who accessed or changed a record?
What to show
Role-based access, written policy and an access log.
Where wai has it ready
Role-based access enforced in the database, and every read and change logged against a named account.
06What did the patient take home after the procedure?
What to show
Written self-care instructions, including medication guidance.
Where wai has it ready
Instructions sent on the patient's thread, in their language, with the time sent.
07How does the governing body oversee AI tools in use?
What to show
Approval, human oversight, patient communication and vendor agreements.
Where wai has it ready
Clinicians read, edit and sign every note, and a business associate agreement is signed before any encounter.
08How do leaders know the organisation is performing?
What to show
Reports leaders read, and decisions minuted against them.
Where wai has it ready
Front desk, response, takings and website reports, every week.
What AAAHC accreditation means in public, and what preparing costs
Accreditation status is searchable by patients and payers, Medicare deemed status rests on it for surgery centers, and AAAHC prices its own preparation materials.
Public
AAAHC publishes a searchable directory of accredited organizations, so patients, payers and referrers can check your status.12
Medicare
payment for an ambulatory surgery center depends on meeting the Conditions for Coverage, and an approved accreditor such as AAAHC can stand in for the State survey under 42 CFR 416.26.13
6,800+
organizations are accredited by AAAHC, from surgery centers and office-based surgery to medical and dental practices.6
$380
is the AAAHC Store price of the v44 Accreditation Handbook for Ambulatory Health Care in print and digital. The 7 guides below work through the same Standards, with templates you can copy.14
Software that runs the work itself, so clinical records, consent and quality data exist before the survey rather than being assembled for it. Look for signed, timed notes, consent on the record, an audit trail on every record and reports you can use as QI study data. wai is built that way, to help you achieve a three-year accreditation.
Is there AAAHC approved or AAAHC certified software?
The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care accredits ambulatory health care organisations. It does not approve, certify or endorse software, wai included, and software cannot earn an accreditation decision on a provider's behalf. wai keeps the records your team uses to show AAAHC how care is delivered, and AAAHC decides the accreditation decision.
Which AAAHC Standards are in force today?
The v44 Standards, effective since 16 December 2025. AAAHC released v45 on 18 August 2026, and it applies to surveys conducted on or after 15 December 2026. Your 1095 Engage account shows which version applies to your next survey.
How long is AAAHC accreditation?
AAAHC awards a three-year term when an organisation is in substantial compliance with the Standards, sometimes with intracycle activities to assess ongoing compliance. Otherwise it denies accreditation. Accredited organisations submit an annual attestation in each year of the term.
What are the AAAHC accreditation requirements?
An organisation must have provided care for at least six months before the survey (unless it takes an Early Option Survey), be legally constituted, licensed where the state requires it, and directed by a licensed MD, DO, DDS, DMD, DPM, OD, DC or APRN, among other criteria. It is then surveyed on site against the standards curated for its services.
Does AAAHC have standards on AI?
Yes, from v45. The new standards cover governance and oversight, risk management, staff training, patient consent, data security and privacy, and vendor management, and apply from 15 December 2026. wai supports that governance with clinician sign-off on every AI-drafted note, recording consent at booking and a full audit trail.
Is wai HIPAA compliant?
In the US, wai acts as a business associate and signs a business associate agreement before any encounter. HIPAA readiness also depends on your own role, agreements and controls.
Where does wai keep our records?
Records hosted in the United States, set up with your organisation, encrypted, with a full audit log.
Fifteen minutes on video, on your own diary, notes and inbox. Built to help you achieve a three-year accreditation. Records hosted in the United States, set up with your organisation.
