AAASF Certified Operating Room Clinique Plastique Dr. Frank Stile

The surgical suites at Clinique Plastique are accredited by AAAASF and is a full operating room offering general anesthesia. Since 2006, our surgery has been performed at our modern, surgical center by a highly trained staff of professionals who are all certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support. This facility is accredited by the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF). AAAASF accredited plastic surgery facilities are rigorously inspected and evaluated. A set of strict standards must be met which assure the patient of a commitment to safety and efficiency of the facility and equipment. Our highly qualified nurses will work with you before, during and after surgery to make you as relaxed and comfortable as possible. Usually, you will be able to go home two to four hours after the operation. The surgical suites

American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, Inc. (AAAASF)

In order for a facility to be accredited by AAAASF, only Board Certified Plastic Surgeons who are eligible to perform plastic surgery procedures in an accredited hospital are allowed to obtain privileges. Such surgeons must also be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and comply with the code of ethics of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. Certified personnel, including registered nurses and certified anesthesiologists and properly trained personnel are only permitted to work in these facilities. Together the staff members comprise a team that operate the facility smoothly and efficiently before, during and after your surgery.

Recent studies have shown that costs to the patient of a single specialty facility such as an accredited plastic surgery facility, are only one third to one half those charged by a hospital for the same procedure. Because the patient is not hospitalized, there are additional significant savings over hospital inpatient care. AAAASF accredited facilities provides you with skilled and experienced plastic surgical care. In addition, you will enjoy the staff and facility's commitment to the AAASF "patients bill of rights," a 12 point document that assures all patients the courtesy and respect they deserve as part of their medical treatment.

MISSION

It is the mission of the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, Inc. (AAAASF) to develop and implement standards of excellence to ensure the highest quality of patient care through an accreditation program that serves both the medical community and the public interest by establishing a means for measuring medical competence and providing an external source for evaluating patient safety in the ambulatory surgery setting.

To accomplish this mission, AAAASF has the following goals:

To provide the medical community and the public interest with a means of standardizing and improving the quality of medical and surgical care in the ambulatory environment:
To encourage the highest level of competence for medical and surgical care of patients in the ambulatory setting.
To provide a forum for the discussion of new concepts in ambulatory surgery care and a repository of information that can be disseminated to the public and medical community.
To encourage constant improvement in the quality of care provided to patients in the ambulatory surgery setting.
To provide a means of measuring both medical and surgical competence, and ethical conduct, by providing an external source for the evaluation of professional credentialing, patient safety and quality of care.

Medical staff in an accredited facility with possible ethical violations will be referred to the ethics committee of the society for their specialty. They will be evaluated by the AAAASF Investigative Committee whose findings could result in probation, suspension, or revocation of the facility's accreditation by AAAASF.

HISTORY

The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, Inc. was established in 1980 to develop an accreditation program to standardize and improve the quality of medical and surgical care in ambulatory surgery facilities while assuring the public of high standards for patient care and safety in an accredited facility.

Today more than 1000 ambulatory surgery facilities are accredited by AAAASF, the largest not-for-profit accrediting organization in the United States. Many more facilities are in process for accreditation. These numbers have increased dramatically over the last two years. Surgeons, legislators, state and national health agencies and patients acknowledge that AAAASF stands alone as the program setting the "Gold Standard" for quality patient care.

The vast majority of ambulatory surgery facilities are still unaccredited, operating independent of any peer review and inspection process. A growing number of states and specialty societies, however, are recognizing the need for mandatory accreditation. AAAASF has been and continues to be in the forefront of these legislative efforts.

Setting the Standard for Quality Patient Care

These days, there is more to having surgery than just selecting your surgeon. AAAASF has designed an accrediting program to help provide patients with the assurance of safety and quality in all aspects of their outpatient surgery experience. To achieve this goal, every AAAASF-accredited ambulatory surgery facility must meet stringent national standards for equipment, operating room safety, personnel and surgeon credentials. The experts at AAAASF know that maintaining safety and quality in the ambulatory surgery facility is a dynamic process, requiring constant review and revision of standards to reflect the current state-of-the-art. As the leading accrediting organization, AAAASF has developed the systems to effectively monitor and implement the latest advances in outpatient care delivery advances that directly benefit patients.

Safety

AAAASF-accredited facilities must meet stringent requirements. All AAAASF-accredited facilities must:

comply with applicable local, state, and federal regulations including fire safety, sanitation and building codes for the protection of patients and medical personnel;
adhere to federal laws and regulations affecting their operation such as OSHA blood-borne pathogens standards, hazardous waste standards, the Americans with Disabilities Act and HIPAA;
utilize advanced instruments and monitoring devices for patient safety during surgery and in the recovery period;
allow surgery to be performed only by qualified surgeons who have privileges to perform the same surgical procedures in an accredited hospital. Surgeons must meet the standards, such as peer-review and continuing medical education, required for operating in an accredited hospital. Surgeons must be certified (or eligible for certification) in surgical specialties recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. This is an important distinction between AAAASF and other organizations that may not require this high standard of qualifications for physicians operating within their accredited facilities; and

provide for the administration of general anesthesia, when appropriate, by a board-certified or board-eligible anesthesiologist or a certified registered nurse anesthetist. Other personnel assisting in surgery and providing care for the patient in the recovery room include specially-trained and certified surgical technicians, registered nurses, and licensed practical nurses.