How do you run an AAAHC mock survey?

Run an AAAHC mock survey as a rehearsal of the real thing, with curated standards from the Self-Assessment Tool, a sample of clinical records, a staff interview round, a procedure observation where you do surgery, and a written report that closes like a Plan of Correction. Do it at least once a year, since AAAHC asks accredited organisations to attest to an annual self-assessment.

Why a mock survey earns its time

AAAHC requires accredited organisations to attest each year to a self-assessment of the applicable standards, including documentation and implementation of corrective action.¹² A mock survey is the most demanding form of that self-assessment, because it tests practice as well as paper. AAAHC describes the self-assessment as a rehearsal that familiarises staff with survey expectations and reduces the risk of citations.¹

The Self-Assessment Tool is an Excel workbook in the 1095 Engage Help Curtain. It includes Clinical Record, Personnel and Credentialing and Privileging worksheets, and its use is not considered in the accreditation decision.¹ Rate each Statement of Requirement from Fully Compliant to Non-Compliant from the Yes or No ratings on its Elements of Compliance, as surveyors do.¹

1. Choose the surveyor. A colleague from another site, or an outside reviewer with ambulatory experience. Not the person who wrote the policies.
2. Set the scope from your curated standards. Use the Standards tab in 1095 Engage, so the mock covers what AAAHC will survey.
3. Open with a conference. Introduce the team, the services and anything changed since the last survey, as an opening conference would.
4. Sample clinical records. Pull records across clinicians, services and patient groups, and review them with the Clinical Record worksheet.
5. Interview staff. Ask front-line staff how they report a near miss, where emergency equipment is and what they tell a patient at discharge.
6. Observe a procedure. If you do surgery, observe a case at your highest anesthesia level, from patient selection to recovery.
7. Review QI studies and minutes. Check each study for the six components AAAHC looks for, and minutes for governing body review.
8. Close with a written report. List each finding against its standard, and set an owner and a date as you would for a Plan of Correction.

1. Category and standard ______ Level 1 or 2 ______
2. What was found ______
3. Evidence reviewed ______
4. Rating, Fully Compliant to Non-Compliant ______
5. Correction, owner and due date ______
6. Evidence of correction filed on ______

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Match the real survey's rules

Under v45 policies, consultants may support an organisation but may not direct, interfere with or influence survey activities, and their participation may be limited to the opening and summation conferences.³ Run the mock with the same separation, so staff answer for themselves. Where a Plan of Correction is required, v45 gives most programs 10 calendar days to submit it and 30 days from the request to make corrections.³ Time your mock corrections to the same clock.

For surgery, AAAHC surveyors observe a procedure reflecting the highest level of anesthesia offered. Where state rules limit anesthesia levels before accreditation, as in California or New York, they observe the highest level legally permitted.⁴ If you operate in Los Angeles or New York City, rehearse that case.

Use the AAAHC survey checklist to set the scope, the surveyor questions guide for interviews, and the AAAHC accreditation hub for the standards by category.

Questions

How often should we run an AAAHC mock survey?

At least once a year, as part of the annual self-assessment AAAHC asks you to attest to, and again three to six months before a renewal survey.

Can a consultant run our mock survey?

Yes, though AAAHC does not endorse specific consultants. During the real survey, v45 policies limit consultants to supporting roles, typically the opening and summation conferences.

Does AAAHC see our mock survey results?

No. Self-assessment results are not submitted and are not part of the decision, though surveyors may ask for evidence that corrections were made.

Sources

1. 1AAAHC, 2025August 2025 Triangle Times Today, Annual Self-Assessment Promotes Readiness and Continuous ImprovementRead source
2. 2AAAHC, 2026Find Expert Support Post-surveyRead source
3. 3AAAHC, 2026v45 Handbook Launch, Client FAQsRead source
4. 4AAAHC, 2026April 2026 Triangle Times Today, procedure observation and the six components of a QI studyRead source

Written by the wai team from Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care guidance, checked on 15 October 2026. This is guidance, not legal advice. AAAHC does not endorse wai or any software.