The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), the industry leader in ambulatory health care accreditation, recently awarded the Minnesota Valley Surgery Center (Burnsville, MN) with the first AAAHC Advanced Orthopaedic Certification—since its official launch in October 2018—focusing on total joint replacements. The certification is designed for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) that provide a high quality of care and comply with rigorous, specialty-focused standards. 

To achieve Advanced Orthopaedic Certification, the Minnesota Valley Surgery Center underwent a rigorous onsite survey. Surveyors evaluated the ASC’s approach to the continuum of care for total joint replacement patients, beginning with the pre-admission consultation and education, surgery, discharge follow-up, and rehabilitation. The center demonstrated use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, ongoing performance improvement strategies, and an effective organizational infrastructure aimed at providing safe and effective care.

This three-year certification program, launched in the fall of 2018, was designed by an expert panel of practicing professionals in orthopaedic and spine procedures. AAAHC-Accredited organizations wanting to achieve this certification may choose from two types of advanced certification, total joint or complex spine. Centers can also pursue a combined certification that addresses both specialties.

The Minnesota Valley Surgery Center joins two ASCs, the Surgery Center of Long Beach (Long Beach, CA) and the Gold Coast Surgicenter (Chicago, IL), who both received certification during the soft launch phase.

To contact the AAAHC Orthopaedic Certification Team, email orthopaedic@aaahc.org, call 847-853-6060, or visit http://www.aaahc.org/certification.