See what your peers have to say about accreditation!
As the medical director for Options360° and a board-certified OB/GYN, it was my privilege to be a part of their accreditation process in 2012 and again in 2015. It is coming down the pike that accreditation will be the new normal. There were many gaps in policies, processes, safety, and compliance when I became the medical director in 2012. Our clinic no longer operates with just recommendations from within the prolife movement, but to higher nationally recognized medical standards. My colleagues understand the AAAHC accreditation as they do the Joint Commission for hospitals and respect our clinic for the dedication it took to achieve accreditation.
We want to be the best we can be so to deliver exceptional care. Options360° has been nominated for best medical clinic in Clark County. I think this speaks for itself.
Suzanne Slayton-Milam, MD, FACOG
Cascadia Women's Clinic
Medical Director, Options360°
Vancouver, WA
I am a board-certified OB/GYN with a subspecialty in Maternal-Fetal Medicine. The regulatory oversight of office medical practices varies by state, location and practice ownership. In "private practice" settings it is usually through the licensing of individual physicians by which office practices are held accountable. With the formation of larger groups, the individual physicians, often employees, are not directly responsible for the overall practice policies and procedures. As more and more medical practices are acquired by hospital organizations, they are also coming under the hospital accreditation process, usually The Joint Commission. Surgery centers and office-based surgical procedures have been the target of increasing regulation and requirements for accreditation, and separate organizations have arisen to do that. The government's desire for regulation always seems to grow, never to shrink. Likewise, the health insurers and large employers who pay for health care ask for more and more evidence of "quality" and limiting payment based on accreditation is an easy way for them to try to save money. Thus, I believe that pressure for "accreditation" will only grow. It has become an important language of the patient safety and quality movement and is understood by government regulatory entities.
In my state of Washington, abortion centers can be accredited by Planned Parenthood. In any other business situation that would be considered a conflict of interest, suspiciously looking like an attempt to deceive. When I heard that some pregnancy medical centers were going through a process of ambulatory health care accreditation (AAAHC), I immediately saw that to show that they take seriously their responsibility to their patients, speaking a language that regulatory entities would understand. Opponents of clinics offering resources that give women alternatives to abortion constantly want to paint those clinics as coercive and unsafe and to block or discourage women from using their free will to choose to use the resources therein provided.
Women are smart and can discern whether they want to go to a clinic or not. Accreditation is not likely to make much difference to them, I suspect. What achieving accreditation does do is set a high bar that is not easily surmounted by opponents of abortion-alternative clinics who would like to use government pressure to shut them down. The only avenue left to them is a direct attack on the idea of practicing medicine in a way that excludes abortion. This is being tried in more than one state (forcing doctors to refer for abortion against their conscience or forcing abortion-alternative clinics to refer).
Individual clinics may or may not experience an obvious direct benefit from being recognized as accredited. One benefit is that the process will improve the clinic policy and procedure aspects and contribute to clarity about how services are provided. Abortion providers who have not been independently accredited look bad by comparison. Patients of abortion providers who have been accredited are hopefully safer than before, so I do not resent the same organization accrediting both, assuming their standards are the same.
Accreditation is conducting business in "the coin of the realm" so to speak and removes regulatory tools that could be used against abortion-alternative clinics. When quality standards are met according to their own rules, that leaves opponents to attack professionals and the right of conscience, and it will become obvious that potential loss of First Amendment liberty is the real battle. In the meantime, as a licensed physician new to this type of practice, I feel that I have credibility with my colleagues when I claim that we are working on our accreditation (as a brand-new clinic about to open we must wait a little for the survey).
Susan Rutherford, MD, FACOG
Board Certified OB/GYN and Maternal-Fetal Medicine
President/CEO of 3W Medical for Women, Seattle, WA
Medical Director of Women's Health Network
With all due respect, I disagree that AAAHC Accreditation is not a measure of excellence for the clinics that have achieved it. Accreditation adds to the quality of patient care. The metrics and milestones needed to pass the survey are the highest standards of care set for patients in this setting.
Having worked in clinic settings for over 16 years, I have seen firsthand the quality that an AAAHC accredited clinic provides patients and believe it is a standard that should be incorporated whenever possible.
Josue Leon, MD, OB/GYN
Medical Director Alternatives Women's Center
Escondido, CA
As a Board-Certified OB/GYN, it is important to me to know that the clinic I direct is accredited, giving me great peace of mind that Best Practice is always our highest priority. The changes implemented with accreditation assure that the highest standard of care is always being met. This allows us to show the love of Jesus to our patients in a way that makes them feel valued.
John Lavin, MD
Medical Director
Clear Choice Clinic
Kalispell, MT
Board certification is a voluntary process that demonstrates a physician's knowledge, skills and experience to provide high quality care in a specific specialty. A physician can practice with or without board certification but patients who see a board-certified physician can have that extra confidence that he/she is being well take care of. Likewise, for Whatcom County Pregnancy Clinic to get accredited with AAAHC gives confidence to our community that they will get high quality care here. This is another way for us to honor God by serving and loving our patients.
Chee Tan, MD, OB/GYN, Medical Director
Whatcom County Pregnancy Clinic
Bellingham, WA
From what I have seen and heard: accreditation "gives your dog some bite in the fight". Planned Parenthood is a medical clinic. If we want to offer a truly competitive alternative to Planned Parenthood, accreditation would seem to not be a waste of time, money, or resources, but a "must do"!
James Heid, MD
Legacy Health
Board Certified Family Medicine
Sub-specialty Obstetrics & Gynecology
Vancouver, WA
"I am the leader of a highly effective medical clinic for 7 years (as both Nurse Manager and Executive Director) before becoming accredited with AAAHC. During those years, I spent many sleepless nights worrying about things like OSHA, HIPAA, and infection control…because I didn't know what I didn't know. Since becoming accredited three years ago, those fears are gone. AAAHC has solidified our processes, empowered our staff, and increased the professionalism of our organization. In the ten years I've led our medical clinic, accreditation is the most progressive thing we've ever done."
Michelle Reimer, LPN, Executive Director
Clear Choice Clinic
Kalispell, MT
It has always been my personal and our clinic's goal to give outstanding compassionate health care that represents the God of excellence we serve. Over the years a number of national organizations have been called to provide PMCs with help toward this goal and have done an admirable job. The opportunity to have an agency outside of the prolife movement survey and accredit our clinic for its adherence to national standards added a new level of confirmation on the excellence we had been striving for. One benefit has been that our local healthcare community views us in a new and more positive light because of our willingness to be scrutinized by AAAHC. We now have a third-party national organization to partner with us and help us maintain the highest standards of care, which reflects the love and concern we have for our patients.
Karen Plevyak RN, Nurse Manager,
Alternatives Medical Center
Escondido, CA
I've been involved in the Pro-life movement for over fifteen years, serving as an ultrasound trainer in pregnancy centers across the nation for the last six of those years. Since the beginning we have strengthened and improved our quality of care significantly, however it was only within the last couple of years that we began to receive the respect of the outside medical community. What I've seen with the centers who've achieved AAAHC accreditation is a commitment and dedication to upholding the highest quality care to the women they serve. Holding a medical license isn't enough. Our patients expect a safe place that is continually in compliance with local, state, and federal requirements, AAAHC accreditation ensures that level of care our patients deserve.
Jamie Hay, RDMS
Ultrasound Assistance, LLC
San Diego, CA
Since I was not here prior to accreditation, I can't speak on what it was like before we were accredited, but I can speak on what accreditation means to me and other medical providers/nurses/etc...in the community.
There have been many times when meeting with school nurses, giving tours, or other clinics sending people to our clinic to get trained, or residents spending days with us to get experience with doing ultrasounds, where I have heard something like, "You are just a pregnancy clinic" or "You are not a medical clinic". When I have responded with the fact that we are an accredited medical clinic and people see our accreditation certificate, or we fax ultrasound reports to OBs and it says we are accredited, they are impressed with us! We have been having more doctors and midwives send their patients to us to get a pregnancy test and they want them to get an ultrasound with us as well. We have residents that are coming here to get knowledge on ultrasounds and they CHOOSE us! We have 13 nurses who are with us and now a new RDMS that is going to be volunteering and one main thing they are impressed with is the fact that we are accredited. On a medical standpoint, any of us nurses who have worked in hospitals understand how important JCAHO is who comes and accredits the hospitals and does visits. It is a BIG deal and if we don't pass JCAHO, it is looked at very poorly. So, with, I can't imagine working in a clinic setting that is not accredited. I do not think it would be looked at as a true medical clinic without being accredited. Accreditation is something that we work hard for and is regulated so we are following standards. Without it, how is a clinic held up to such standards.
Melody Nosko, RN
Nurse Manager
Options360°
Battle Ground & Vancouver, WA
In a hospital setting, there are systems in place to assure top quality care is being given. The same is not always true in non-profit care, as often the population being reached is lacking in healthcare resources. Sometimes in these settings there can be a "better than nothing" attitude or a sense that at least there is care being given. At CCC, we strive to give the best care we can give to the patients we serve. Being accredited by AAAHC gives the assurance that we are doing just that.
Kristen Habel, RN
Nurse Manager
Clear Choice Clinic
Kalispell, MT
"Birth Choice of Dallas is proud of our AAAHC accreditation. This noteworthy accolade was hard to obtain but worth every moment of hard work to get it. As a pro-life organization it allows us to feel secure in our work in the community and safe against any attacks from prochoice organizations. It has helped to answer many questions on the proper way of handling so many situations. I endorse the AAAHC and encourage pregnancy centers to obtain this gold standard approval."
Christina Smith, CRNA
Executive Director, Birth Choice Dallas
8610 Greenville Ave Suite 200
Dallas, Texas 75243
214-631-2402
Several years ago, the Whatcom County Pregnancy Clinic was experiencing push back from Olympia about the credibility of our facility as a legitimate medical clinic. Through prayer and petition and a desire to be above reproach the decision was made to pursue accreditation.
Colossians 3: 22-25 "Servants, do what you're told by your earthly masters. And don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn't cover up bad work." (MSG)
With this in mind we set out to become accredited. Accreditation is a voluntary process through which our organization can measure the quality of our services against nationally recognized standards. Currently there are over 500 standards pregnancy medical clinics must meet. We are accredited through AAAHC (Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc.) and have been since fall 2015. The Medical Dictionary by Farlex defines ambulatory care as, "health services or acute care services that are provided on an outpatient basis." AAAHC's own mission statement is: "AAAHC is committed to maintaining its position as the preeminent leader in developing standards to advance and promote patient safety, quality, value and measurement of performance for ambulatory health care through peer-based accreditation process, education and research. "With a certification through AAAHC Whatcom County Pregnancy Clinic is recognized nationally as a health care organization that meets or exceeds standards for quality of care and patient safety. Operating by these standards, we are being recognized and accepted as peers in medical and social services here in Whatcom County and with state and federal lawmakers. These organizations that previously did not recognize us are now interested in the services we have to offer the community and are referring clients to us. They are initially surprised by the scope of services that we have to offer and then pleased to learn about our standard of care that we have in place. They are now willing and excited to partner with us.
We are delighted that through this process we are providing the highest level of care to our clients. It demonstrates our dedication to the safety, privacy, and quality of care we have to offer. What we are most proud of is that in this we can glorify God by striving for excellence in the way we serve others.
Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (NIV)
Brenda Corsentino, RN, Nurse Manager
Christine Rinehart, CSS
Whatcom County Pregnancy Clinic
Bellingham, WA
"AAAHC has given us confidence that we are offering top-notch, professional medical care. Our nurses love knowing that they are following all proper protocols and procedures. Our patients each receive the same standardized, compassionate care. The medical community recognizes us as a viable medical clinic and refers to us. Our donors love being part of an excellent organization. And I rest easier knowing we have mitigated so much risk in every area of our organization. Before AAAHC we simply did not know what, we did not know. Now we know."
Tracy Ullrey, CEO
Options Clinic
Helena, MT
(406) 422-1011
Being a licensed Community Health Clinic by the Department of Health since 1994, and meeting all their standards and guidelines, we thought we were top notch, until we began looking into AAAHC. We realized that we were far from it. Wanting to be the best we can be for the patients we serve, we began and are now nearing the end of a transformation of our Medical and Organizational Policies and Procedures that is second to none. We are grateful to Your Solutions Now and their team for the opportunity and guidance every step of the way. To be AAAHC accredited is a dream come true for us.
Marie Leatherby
Executive Director
Sacramento Life Center,
Sacramento, CA
"Our organization has benefited tremendously from participating in the AAAHC preparation process. Our policies are stronger, our procedures are more accurate, our internal organizational process is now sound, and we are more confident than we have ever been as we strive to serve. The level of excellence that we have always desired to serve in has become reality thanks to the standards of AAAHC and the training that we have received. Without a doubt, the mission is more effectively accomplished."
Christina Middleton
Executive Director
Caring Solutions/CORE Healthcare for Women of Central Georgia
Macon, GA
(478) 508-7206
"I have been consulting with pregnancy medical clinics for over 30 years. While I've never taken an organization through the AAAHC accreditation process, I have observed the powerful transformation in those PMCs who have. Staff and volunteers appear more confident and ministry to at-risk women significantly increases. The organization's credibility and respect in the community grows to a new level. One of my favorite things about PMCs becoming accredited is that no one can accuse them of being a "fake medical clinic".
Beth E. Chase
WHNN /CEO, PMC Network
East Wenatchee, WA
(509) 886-4894
Alternatives Medical Center became accredited in October 2012 and reaccredited again in 2015. This decision to become accredited was made because we wanted to be excellent in ALL we do. The top reason was patient care. As a result, the medical team is confident in their decisions, the administrative staff has a system of checks and balances that they never had before, and our community is assured that we are provided excellent healthcare to the people that come through our doors.
As the CEO, I think it was probably one of the best decisions we have made in the 10 years I have been here.
Tammy De Armas, CEO
Alternatives Medical Center
Escondido, CA
Becoming accredited with AAAHC was a very easy decision for the Board of Directors, myself as the CEO, our Medical Director, and Nurse Manager. We felt we were operating a very well-run clinic, but going through the accreditation process, found out exactly where we were weak and as a result were able to strengthen ourselves from the inside and be able to provide the very best and safest patient care possible. We now know every "i" is dotted and every "t" is crossed. When testifying before the Montana State legislature last session and being able to say we were accredited with the AAAHC gave me much more credibility because they recognize the AAAHC as the gold standard of accreditation. Legislators have no idea who Care Net, NILFA, or Heartbeat is, but they know when you say you are accredited with the AAAHC, they take note that your clinic is operating above reproach.
Being accredited with the AAAHC has also greatly increased our credibility in our local medical community and among our supporters. It places us in the top 10% of all medical clinics in the entire United States.
In the past, NARAL Pro-Choice Montana has sent in "secret shoppers" to our clinic as well as to numerous other PRC's and PMC's across Montana and then released a 28 page report against us. It is their plan to bring legislation against us. Now being accredited, should they send in "secret shoppers," they would find nothing of which they could raise an accusation against us.
Our level of patient care is at the highest level possible. We are HIPPA compliant, OSHA compliant, and in many areas exceed the local and state requirements. We have an over 95% patient approval rating according to our Patient Satisfaction Surveys.
We feel strongly that our patients deserve the very best care possible and are committed to continuing to offer excellent health care to our community.
Bonnie Mitchell, Former CEO
Echoz Pregnancy Care Center
Great Falls, MT
406-727-1850
It was in the process of becoming accredited when our clinic began to see a shift in acceptance within our community. As word got out that we were working toward Accreditation—even though we hadn't announced publicly what we were doing; our standing within our community began to grow.
Doctor's offices began referring clients our way; school counselors began calling asking us about our services; NWYS (Northwest Youth Services) became interested in the WCPC; the Health Department; we began to be asked to be part of local coalitions and task force groups. We were beginning to be recognized as a legitimate ambulatory medical clinic – not just the little 'religious' organization with its 'pro-life' agenda.
Again, all this began happening before we became accredited. We knew this was confirmation we were heading in the right direction.
Something else accreditation has brought to our clinic is the confidence we are providing our clients with the best possible care. This goes way beyond 'simply doing things legally correct'. We are providing the highest level of care to our clients by meeting federal, state, and local laws (and I can prove it); we are glorifying God with striving for excellence in the way we serve others and, we demonstrate our dedication to the safety, privacy, and quality of care we provide.
Through accreditation, we have also seen an increase of medical personnel wanting to volunteer their time in our clinic. This is HUGE as we are a medical clinic always in need of medical personnel volunteers.
Our decision to become accredited began in prayer. I wasn't interested in joining any 'band wagon'/any trends. My main goal as the Executive Director is to always follow the direction of the Holy Spirit in this ministry because He is the true leader. He led us through this process and has blessed our clinic in ways that has surprised all of us. Yes, there is more paperwork; yes, there are more binders than we could ever hope to have; yes, accreditation has stretched us, but it has been so worth the work. We will never go back.
Sherrie Turner, Executive Director
Whatcom County Pregnancy Clinic
Bellingham, WA
Why AAAHC?
Many "startup" Centers began by offering material assistance, then they added pregnancy testing. Soon after that Centers offered parenting classes. Adding Ultrasound Services has been a milestone for many Centers. More lives have been saved as a result of that one step of faith. It's been worth the added cost. Now we are taking another step of faith. We are preparing to become accredited. We will be using an outside, private, non-profit organization called the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care or AAAHC.
I hadn't realized how much organizational detail we were missing until I began this process. Accreditation has shown us what important components of running a medical clinic were missing and how to correct it. Accreditation will demonstrate a strong commitment to patient care and safety. It will show that we don't just answer to ourselves. It offers great protection by minimizing our risks and liability and increasing trust and credibility. Complying with accreditation standards shows a commitment to continual self-evaluation and improvement.
The dedication and effort necessary for any organization to be accredited is substantial.
There are benefits and challenges but nothing worthwhile is ever easy. We are glad we are doing this. Currently, we are making construction changes to offer more confidentiality to our patients. Although this change is costing us money, we are putting our patients first. They will see that care and communicate this to others. Our reputation can only improve by doing this.
Mary Bron, Executive Director
Pregnancy Choices of Skagit County, WA
Survey Scheduled for November 7, 2018
Accreditation has been very beneficial for the healthy growth of our organization in ways we did not imagine before we started the process. Establishing the systems necessary for compliance has resulted in repeatable best practices and accountability measures that ensure a high standard of quality health care. Implementing the systems necessary for accreditation has increased confidence in the consistency of services and contact at each client engagement.
Since accreditation, our center has received referrals for services from area hospitals and local health care clinics as our medical community grows in understanding of the services we provide; they also hold tremendous respect for both the process and achievement of accreditation. Prior to accreditation, local providers understood we were a nonprofit organization with a pro-life philosophy. Now, they understand we are a nonprofit organization with a pro-life philosophy which meets a high standard of medical professionalism and accountability that they respect. The medical community recognizes accreditation achievement as a gold standard and best practice.
Our Board of Directors is composed of professionals (two medical doctors, two attorneys, three tax accountants, and two business owners) who recognize the positive impact of accreditation on our organization and on our donor giving. Our donors have also gained greater confidence in our organization and services due to our accreditation; consequently, giving has increased.
River Sussman, Executive Director
My Choices Pregnancy Medical Resources
Port Angeles & Sequim, WA
Let me start by saying that I appreciate some of the information provided in the AAAHC accreditation joint statement co-published by Care Net, NIFLA, and Heartbeat on March 1, 2017. It's important for PMCs to understand that this accreditation does not provide any additional legal footing for them when being attacked by our opposition. Further, it is provocative and requires the reader to think through why they are considering this accreditation, what it means for their staff, and the ongoing financial obligations it requires.
However, it lacks the other side of the story. Why would a PMC want to be accredited by the AAAHC, after learning all the information that was provided in the statement? Are there any other beneficial reasons for a PMC to be accredited? Where is the compiled data highlighting centers who have become accredited, expressing their experience, what benefits they've seen, and what great pitfalls they have avoided because of becoming accredited? Would they do it again? Why or why not?
For PMCs to make a truly educated decision about what would be best for their centers, they need the whole story. And, this information would coincide very well with the last paragraph of the statement where PMCs are encouraged to conduct a comprehensive evaluation before pursuing accreditation. This missing information leaves a gaping hole. It was an opportunity for the writers to provide as much information about the need for medical PMCs to operate in line with state and federal requirements as was given to the original topic. Moreover, this additional thought-provoking content is needed to fully consider whether accreditation makes sense for their center.
I'm the new kid on the block, so help me out, please. Our center goal is to provide the highest level of care to ANY client/patient that walks through our doors. We do this with the compassion of Jesus, as well as the knowledge that we've done everything possible to ensure that the care they receive is of the highest quality. My team prayed for three weeks before our annual retreat, asking the Lord what we should do in 2017. He, very specifically, told us that we needed to firm up our foundation before adding additional services. The accreditation process has opened our eyes to numerous cracks in our foundation; deficiencies that could have destroyed our center.
I do understand AAAHC accreditation does not provide legal protection for my center, at least as this paper portrays legal protection. However, in the course of readying ourselves for accreditation, we've uncovered a number of things that we're not doing well. In my humble opinion, there are likely hundreds of centers who would find themselves in the same place, or worse, as we are.
This 30+ year old center has been blessed to have numerous staff through its history, who exemplify servant hearts, integrity, and hard work. Knowing this and working side-by-side with the current staff, I was quite sure that we were doing things well above the expected norm. Imagine my great surprise as the following things were uncovered in our initial assessment (a much-abbreviated list follows):
I could go on and on. As you can see, we fall FAR below the threshold of providing the excellent level of care and accountability that we strive for, based on our recent assessment. This was further emphasized by our new, extremely detail driven Nurse Manager, who acknowledged that we weren't following some of the guidelines that she'd been trained on by prior medical employers. Now, after our assessment, we are working through a 42-page document of things that need to be updated/fixed…some trivial, some extremely high risk.
I feel extremely blessed to have had these things pointed out to us so that they can be corrected. It's very easy for things to slide through the years. Just like the old game of telephone, where a word or phrase is whispered from one person to the other until, at the end, it's a completely different word or phrase, there has been a breakdown in the accuracy of our training through the years and these issues must be addressed. None of these items are negotiable. So, taking the time to update our practices is a very good use of our time. And, about ROI, the knowledge that we saved ourselves from $130,000 in fines is ROI enough for me to continue this process in and of itself.
While we're not legally protected by the AAAHC for the PMC attacks that are occurring in Illinois, California, and Hawaii, we are rising to our state requirements, protecting us from fines that could be levied if we were inspected. Accreditation would also show any court that we are using due diligence in striving to work at the highest level possible, should litigation ever be brought against our center.
The emphasis placed on the fact that there are PP clinics who tout AAAHC certification was disheartening for a few reasons, not to mention a feeling of being slandered by the insinuation that my center is supporting PP because we are in the process of being accredited through the same organization. Or, that by prayerfully considering and choosing to spend our hard-earned dollars on accreditation, we are somehow poor stewards of our resources.
The logic used in this statement, "Therefore, centers should consider whether giving money to AAAHC undercuts and destroys the foundational principles upon which prolife pregnancy centers exist," is baffling to me. It sounds as if you're saying that I shouldn't, in good conscience, see a doctor or go to a hospital that's been accredited by the AAAHC because they accredit PP and the money I spend at these facilities promotes abortion.
Further, the logic that "AAAHC endorsing the credibility of abortion providers, thereby enhancing their status," is great logic for PMCs, if true. That means, conversely, that the endorsement of AAAHC to PMCs gives us credibility, enhancing our status, right? And, to be fair, AAAHC does not endorse the credibility of abortion providers. They accredit the medical standards used in the care of patients that enter their clinics, just like they do for all other medical facilities they accredit.
In addition to the AAAHC, there are numerous vendors that both my center and the local PP clinic uses. To name a few:
Are we to stop using vendors that provides service of any kind to PP?
The use of S.M.A.R.T. goals was referenced in the ROI section. However, the logic assumes that we want to be accredited to "provide additional legal protection or stave off legislative efforts designed to undermine PMCs." As stated previously, our desire for accreditation is for the express purpose of being medically sound, compared to other medical clinics in our state. This accreditation will also give us credibility as we build our Medical Advisory Committee and look for an Assistant Medical Director.
I applaud you for using your collective circles of influence and heartfelt efforts to protect us from wolves dressed in sheep's clothing, stealing away our resources unnecessarily. I know that your hearts are in the right place and I am thankful for your oversight.
However, I believe a great disservice to PMCs has been done. I'm concerned that many will think, like we did, that they are sitting far above reproach, never realizing what unknown dangers lurk below the surface, like bad medical practices and inadequate compliance training, to name a couple. In my modest opinion, an updated, better-rounded statement should be published.
Malora Forrey, CEO
PRC of Snohomish County
Everett, WA
"AAAHC has given me a tremendous boost of confidence in the operations of our Medical Clinic. I've been the Nurse Manager for 10 years and have more tools, answers, and policies to equip us in every way. With more complete documentation systems in place, I feel we provide an even higher standard of care than before. I like the online competencies that AAAHC provides, to educate our staff and volunteers and take some of the work off my shoulders. As questions I arise, I simply email Lorraine, or her team and I get answers. I'm so thankful."
Heidi Cessna, RN
CAPS (College Area Pregnancy Services)
San Diego, CA
