What Does It Mean To Be AAHA Accredited?

Have you ever heard of a pet owner saying I need to take my pet to an AAHA accredited veterinarian? Yes? No?

What does it even mean in the first place and why is it that such a necessity to pet lovers?

AAHA is an abbreviation for the American Animal Hospital Association. It was launched in 1933 as being the only USA organization which provides professional accreditation for veterinary practicing health centers.

AAHA Standards

It has a mission of enhancing vertinarian’s abilities to offer top-notch medical care unto companion animals. AAHA accreditation is based in Canada and USA countries and aims at meeting the needs of the public while relating to small pet veterinary medicines deliveries. 

However, this accreditation process is voluntary for these veterinary hospitals which mean they can be AAHA accredited if they only want to. This is in contrast to human hospitals whereby similar accreditations are mandatory. This was after WHO, World Health Organization, did research on human hospitals and realized that those hospitals that did so had rare cases of anesthesia and surgical complications deaths.

Wouldn’t this be better in the case of animals? During this process of accreditation, the hospitals get rated on about nine hundred veterinary care standards inclusive of communication, client satisfaction as well as pet health services.

Other standards are as follows:

• Continuation of education
• Dentistry
• Medical records
• Customer service
• Disease prevention
• Safety
• Cleanliness and facilities
• Hosting on-site pharmacies
• Diagnostic laboratories and equipment
• Patient care and handling
• Surgical anesthesia and abilities 

This aids AAHA to be up to par with the latest treatment and technological protocols for their patients. Alongside their knowledgeable stuff that they consort with, they offer referrals to any other practitioner in specialty areas with the aim of giving pet owners the best prognosis and treatment plan possible. 

AAHA Primary Focus

Below are some examples as to how the standards of AAHA can impact both your pet and you. These AAHA standards require other hospitals to give diagnostic services such as laboratory and x-ray services dully. This is to ensure that they can accurately and quickly diagnose your animal to the best care.

These standards primarily focus on quality care in sectors of:

• Emergency care
• Surgery
• Patient care
• Pain management
• Dentistry
• Contagious diseases
• Anesthesia

These hospitals that are accredited possess onsite pharmacies that are other standard areas that help them commence treatment as soon as possible.

These standards besides also require medical records to be complete and thorough. This requirement aids them to understand better the medical history of your pet and how previous health issues could impact their medical status now. 

AAHA Accredited Animal Hospital

Accreditation aids these vet medical centers to stay on veterinary medicine leading edge as well as offer top notch service range for your pet. AAHA accreditation standards are updated continuously to meet veterinary medicine updates and changes. And to stay accredited, an animal’s medical center needs to excel in an audit that occurs after three years. This ascertains that the centers have updated practice protocols to be on par with these changes.

Examples of these practices which AAHA accredited medical centers are needed to use include:

• A delivery system of oxygen for patients in critical situations like failing to breathe.
• Isolation unit to help the contagious patients in an aim of ensuring other patients safety in these hospitals.
• Dental X-Ray. This promotes better identify as well as treat diseases related to dental because about 90% of dental issues are found under the gums. 

It is important to note that these practices can never be found in non-accredited medical centers.

What You Should Expect

As earlier stated, accreditation is vital to process since it is inclusive of best practices adherence as well as oversight of a third party which are proven to possess bettered outcomes for veterinary hospital patients. Primarily AAHA works under an understanding that individual hospitals adhere to standardized protocols which lower patient complication and deaths significantly. Look at these advantages that you can get from an AAHA accredited medical center.

1. Standardized procedures and protocols. From a sterile environment to humane handling, these standardized protocols that are required for accreditation are very stringent. Besides, they’re associated with bettered pet outcomes for your pet that has seen the doors of several clinics. 
2. Higher referral standards: AAHA believes that your pet needs that specialists touch. That is why AAHA medical centers will always refer you to highly accredited and trained practitioners for anything that they cannot handle at level.
3. Prevention of diseases: AAHA certified veterinary possess specific protocols which prevent the spread of diseases amongst pets. Amongst these standards is highly specialized ventilation systems. These aid in the reduction of airborne infections spreading.
4. Anesthesia monitoring: should your pet require operation of any nature which requires anesthesia, rest assured knowing that the hospital you have gone to has a highly professional trained and dedicated staff that monitor levels of anesthesia throughout the whole process. This ascertains that the vet focuses on the process correctly and that the pet is completely safe without any dint of pain. 
5. Bettered dental care: it is sad to realize that dental care isn’t a priority area when it comes to the healthcare of a pet. Nonetheless, AAHA standards always strive to set the bar. Going to an accredited institution helps you achieve standardized and safe dental care which enhances your pet’s animal. 
6. Continued education requirements: every vet that is practicing in an accredited hospital is required to complete over fifty hours each year of continued education as earlier stated. This education type is what separates an excellent hospital from a good one.
7. Maintaining high sterilization and cleanliness levels
8. Increased diagnosis and accuracy
9. Expounded learning experience by the stuff increasing working experience and knowledge 
10. Fostering an excellent relation between your pet, the staff and you
11. Empowering you via accessible and open pet education and communication

All About Pets Is AAHA

All About Pets strives to keep a high standard of pet care for our clients and that is why we have been AAHA accredited since 1990.