OU Physicians Commitment to Quality

OU Physicians Achieves AAAHC Accreditation

The culmination of more than six years of rigorous preparation, OU Physicians has become the first physicians group in Oklahoma to earn accreditation from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), receiving a full three-year accreditation. We are also one of only a handful of academic-based physicians groups in the nation to be awarded this prestigious designation in the AAAHC's nearly 30-year history.

Accreditation is a voluntary process through which an ambulatory health care organization is able to measure the quality of its services and performance against nationally recognized standards.

"Achieving accreditation demonstrates our commitment as an organization to focus on continual self-evaluation and improvement," said C. Douglas Folger, M.D., OU Physicians chief medical officer. The process requires extensive internal assessment and evaluation, as well as an on-site survey by a professional team made up of volunteer physicians, nurses and administrators. Beyond review and evaluation of policies and processes, the site visit includes tours and observation in every department or clinic work area. The overall clinic environment is assessed, with special attention given to patient safety concerns. OU Physicians was required to meet approximately 250 core standards and 275 adjunct standards, as mandated by the AAAHC. 

Robin Elwood, M.D., is an OU Physicians anesthesiology specialist and a member of AAAHC's national accreditation team. Although he did not participate in the OU Physicians review, Elwood is well-acquainted with the demanding accreditation process. "Three years is the maximum accreditation term granted and it is only awarded when the AAAHC has no reservations about the accuracy of the survey findings and the organization's commitment to providing high-quality care and services consistent with AAAHC standards," said Elwood.

Accreditation is based on an organization's performance in these critical areas:

• Patient privacy, rights and responsibilities
• Medical records
• Issues relevant to patient safety and quality of care, such as current medications and supplies, conscious sedation, referrals and continuation of care
• Emergency preparedness
• Personnel, human resources and credentialing records
• Organizational structure of OU Physicians - governance, operations, committee structure, policies and procedures
• Quality improvement activities and documented initiatives
• Incident reports
• Complaint/compliment tracking
• Satisfaction ratings by patients, physicians and employees

Accreditation by AAAHC is further evidence of the importance OU Medicine and its leadership place on excellence, constantly striving to keep the highest standards of patient care and service.