You may be wondering why facility accreditation even matters if doctors are able to legally perform plastic surgery in their outpatient surgery centers. Well, here’s an answer. Facility accreditation ensures that doctors are following guidelines created to ensure patient safety and reduce preventable errors and complications.
It’s no secret that while a lot of patients leave their surgeons’ offices with beautiful bodies, some still die during or shortly after their surgeries. It is true complications can occur with any patient at any time. However, they are less likely to happen when:
- Plastic surgeons receive formal training in plastic surgery residencies accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
- Patients receive excellent care before, during, and after surgery
- Plastic surgeons select patients who are good candidates for plastic surgery
Facility Accreditation Contributes to Your Safety
Facility accreditation says surgeons and facilities have proven they are following guidelines that ensure all three are happening to keep patients safe. Surgeons who operate in accredited outpatient facilities are 100% compliant with standards developed by The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF), Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), or Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations. The standards include, but are not limited to:
- Rules for anesthesia, patient selection, protecting patient rights, and patient safety data reporting
- Facility and operating room layout and environment
- General safety, medical hazardous waste safety, personnel safety
- Facility equipment, operating room equipment, anesthesia equipment
- Emergency equipment, plans for dealing with emergencies
- Medications, emergency medications, IV fluids
- Infection control, hygiene, sterilization, cleaning
- Record keeping
- Quality Assessment, Quality Improvement, and Risk Management
- Personnel training, team members, facility staffing
Surgeons also participate in inspections that happen on-site and open their practices up so inspectors can interview their patients and teams. It is not difficult to understand why plastic surgery patients are less likely to experience preventable serious or life-threatening complications in an accredited facility.
Identify Plastic Surgeons Who Operate in Accredited Facilities
Lastly, surgeons who are board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons must operate in facilities accredited by AAAASF, AAAHC, or the Joint Commission. CLICK HERE to learn more about board certification.
Facility Accreditation in Plastic Surgery: The Bottom Line
There are many advantages to having cosmetic surgery in an outpatient facility. They are less expensive than hospitals, require less paperwork, have fewer scheduling hurdles, and are more private; patients are usually working with teams who work with the surgeon. When surgeons take additional steps toward accreditation to keep patients and their teams safe, the likelihood for positive outcomes and amazing results increases- which is good for YOU. Ask your plastic surgeon, “Do you operate in an accredited facility?”
