AAAASF Introduces Tools to Enable Self-Assessment for Reopening Medical Facilities

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 29 April 2020:   Amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world, the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF) has introduced a Desk Review Process that focuses on activities that are fundamental to ensure the safety of staff, patients and communities during the current public health emergency.   

The Desk Review Process by AAAASF is aimed at staying connected and engaged with the accredited facilities that are due for resurvey, but the worksheet can be used by any facility to gauge its readiness to resume normal operations. The Desk Review Process is in line with the infection control and emergency protocols of AAAASF’s regulatory partners, which includes self-appraisal by the facilities and focused policy reviews relating to the COVID-19 emergency, in addition to the queries or concerns facilities may have during this unprecedented time.

This initiative by AAAASF aims to provide essential tools and resources that assist every accredited facility in preparing the COVID-19 related content that will be part of future surveys. The worksheet is available to any facility, even those that are not accredited, as a guide of what needs to be accomplished in order to safely resume care in light of the pandemic. Accredited facilities enjoy the additional benefit of AAAASF guidance in preparing the required protocols.

Facilities can download the Desk Review Worksheet Tool and Desk Review Instructions as required from the AAASF website. The review tool is expected to benefit medical facilities in providing safety and wellbeing of the staff members, the patients and community at large at a time when public health has taken the center of attention globally.

The AAAASF accredits thousands of medical facilities worldwide, making it one of the largest not-for-profit outpatient accrediting organizations. The organization is acknowledged and recognized within the healthcare industry for setting the Gold standard in accreditation.