The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, Inc., the largest not-for-profit accrediting organization in the United States, was established in 1980 to develop a standardized accreditation program to improve the quality of medical and surgical care at ambulatory surgery facilities. AAAASF's goal is to promise high standards for patient care and safety in accredited facilities.
Today more than 2000 ambulatory surgery facilities are accredited by AAAASF and many more facilities are in the process of accreditation. These numbers have increased dramatically in several countries and communities who understand the value of accrediting surgical facilities. Surgeons, legislators, state health agencies, national health organizations and patients all acknowledge that AAAASF is the leader for setting "Gold Standards" for quality patient care. There are still far too many ambulatory surgery clinics operating without accreditation, peer review or inspection processes. AAAASF is the leader in legislative efforts to help facilities, patients, organizations and communities around the world mandate the accreditation process.