West End Orthopaedic Clinic's Office Operatory has been accredited by the AAAHC since March 2003. The AAAHC describes accreditation as,

"...a voluntary process through which an organization is able to measure the quality of its services and performance against nationally recognized standards. The accreditation process involves self-assessment by the organization, as well as a thorough review by the Accreditation Association's expert surveyors, who themselves have extensive experience in the ambulatory health care environment."

Accreditation is good for three years, and our most recent accreditation survey was completed in February 2010.

The AAAHC accreditation process is designed to evaluate the following Core and Adjunct services areas, which are essential to high-quality patient care:

Rights of Patients
Governance
Administration
Quality of Care Provided
Quality Management and Improvement
Clinical Records and Health Information
Infection Prevention and Control Safety
Facilities and Environment
Anesthesia Services
Surgical and Related Services

For more information about the AAAHC and its accreditation programs, visit www.aaahc.org.

In addition to peer reviews and internal self-assessments, West End Orthopaedic Clinic is committed to using direct patient feedback to enhance the experiences of our patients. Each month, the results of our Patient Satisfaction Surveys are reviewed by our managers to identify potential strengths and weaknesses within the organization. Here is a sampling of what our Operatory patients have told us in recent weeks:  

"The doctors and nurses made my experience with them as nice as possible. They took away any apprehension I had before the surgery and were very kind to me throughout the entire experience. Thank you."

"The nursing, pre-op, anesthesia staff and doctors are all excellent, kind, friendly, and caring. I've had multiple surgeries there and they make the experience as pleasant as possible. Great team!"

"I was really amazed. I know this is a business and 'I needed you,' yet I still felt the individual attention, connection, and engagement of all your staff."

"Everything was excellent except the wait before surgery. The registration was great and on time but after that I waited an hour and twenty minutes before I asked why I had not gone in yet.... Once I was taken in everyone I came in contact with was apologetic for the wait. I would not have minded the wait if staff had told me there was a problem."

"Everybody was great. This was my second surgery by this same team and they are top notch. This is a first class operation."

"I had a very pleasant and outstanding experience during my stay. The staff knew that I was very nervous and I felt that they were caring and understanding."

"It would have been nice if I had been assigned to one person as my liaison through the process. Other than that issue, I am quite pleased!"

"This was my first time for any kind of surgery so I started out nervous, but the staff were awesome in making me comfortable."

"It was nice not being in the busy hospital atmosphere."

"Everything was great. One recommendation-explanation of the cost."

We value both the positive and the constructively critical feedback we receive from our patients. The positive feedback reassures us and helps us to take pride in the work we do, while the critical feedback gives us the opportunity to strengthen our operation in areas that we might otherwise have overlooked. Together with our patients, we form an effective Quality Assurance team!