USA Student Health Center Achieves AAAHC Re-Accreditation

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Posted on April 21, 2015

Paul Taylor

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The University of South Alabama Student Health Center recently was granted a 3-year re-accreditation by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC).

“Pursuing accreditation shows our commitment to providing the highest level of care to our patients and the same high level of quality in our business practices,” said Beverly Kellen, practice director for student health and family medicine at USA. “Achieving re-accreditation by AAAHC is proof that we have met the rigorous standards of a nationally recognized third party.”

Achieving re-accreditation distinguishes the student health center at USA as being among an elite group of student health centers across the United States. USA Student Health Center has demonstrated the highest quality of care to patients as determined by an independent, external process of evaluation by the AAAHC.

Achieving re-accreditation, according to Kellen, means the student health center at USA has met all federal, state and local laws as well as AAAHC standards for the care it provides to its community.

Health care organizations seeking re-accreditation by AAAHC undergo an extensive self-assessment and an on-site survey by AAAHC expert surveyors – physicians, nurses and administrators who are actively involved in ambulatory health care. The survey is consultative and educational, presenting best practices to help an organization improve its care and services.

“Everyone in our student health center participated in this team effort,” Kellen said. “Going through this process together has challenged us to find better ways to serve our patients, and it is a constant reminder that our responsibility is to strive to continuously improve the quality of care we provide to students at USA.”

The USA Student Health Center staff serves more than 16,000 students campus-wide, with more than 15,000 patient encounters per year. In addition, the center has sports medicine services available for students and collaborates closely with the athletics department and all University athletes.

The USA Student Health Center is located on USA’s main campus at Technology & Research Park Building III, Suite 1200. For more information, call (251) 460-7151 or visit https://www.southalabama.edu/studenthealth/.

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