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Fulfilling new AAAHC standard 9.W

Ambulatory Safety Monitor, February 2, 2006

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When the AAAHC updated its standards for 2006, one area undergoing a notable change was Chapter 9: Anesthesia Services in the Accreditation Handbook for Ambulatory Health Care. The new standard included in this chapter-formerly 9.V and now 9.W-reads, "Organizations that provide sedative, hypnotic, or analgesic drugs that do not have an antagonist medication (e.g., propofol) will identify who in the organization is privileged to administer these drugs, and the organization will have a written protocol of how the organization will respond in the event that a deeper-than-intended level of anesthesia occurs."

"We are really addressing patient safety and pointing back to our standards in 2.II about credentialing and privileging," says Stephen Kaufman, RN, MA, AAAHC senior director of accreditation. "We're not telling organizations to do anything new or different, but we are reminding them of their obligation to ensure patient safety by properly and appropriately credentialing and privileging the healthcare professionals who provide the services that are offered."

Thus, when surveyors visit your facility, they will want to see written protocol and documentation that you have properly credentialed and privileged the members of your organization who provide these types of drugs.

This tip was adapted from Briefings on Ambulatory Accreditation, a monthly publication that reports on the activities of ambulatory care accreditors, the JCAHO, and the AAAHC. Click here for more information or to subscribe.

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