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American Animal Hospital Association
Formation1933; 90 years ago (1933)[1]
Headquarters1412 Denver West Parkway, Suite 245, Lakewood, CO 80401
Websiteaaha.org

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) is a non-profit organization for companion animal veterinary hospitals. Established in 1933, the association is the only accrediting body for small animal hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. The association develops standards for veterinary business practices, publications, and educational programs. Any veterinary hospital can join AAHA as a member, but must then pass an evaluation in order to receive AAHA accreditation.

AAHA Accreditation

Unlike human hospitals, veterinary hospitals are not required to be accredited. Accredited hospitals are the only hospitals in the U.S. and Canada that choose to be evaluated on approximately 900 quality standards that go above and beyond basic state regulations,[2] ranging from patient care and pain management to staff training and advanced diagnostic services.

To become AAHA-accredited, practices undergo a rigorous evaluation process to ensure they meet the AAHA Standards of Accreditation, which include the areas of: Patient care, diagnostic imaging, laboratory, pain management, pharmacy, safety, surgery, client service, anesthesia, contagious disease, continuing education, dentistry, examination facilities, medical records, leadership and emergency/urgent care.[2] To maintain accredited status, hospitals undergo comprehensive on-site evaluations every three years, which ensures that hospitals are compliant with the Association's mandatory standards.

Because the accreditation process is so thorough and rigorous, some states are beginning to accept AAHA accreditation in lieu of state inspections. In 2013, Alabama was the first state in the United States to accept AAHA accreditation in place of a state inspection by the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.[3]

Programs and services

AAHA produces guidelines developed by teams of veterinary experts that provide recommendations to improve the quality of pet health care in a veterinary practice. Guidelines are reviewed periodically to ensure that they are accurate and up-to-date with leading data and trends in the veterinary profession.[4]

The AAHA Board of Directors have adopted position statements on many pet health and animal welfare issues. Position statements are reviewed periodically to ensure that they are current and up-to-date with the latest research.[5]

AAHA has educational programs for veterinarians, practice owners, practice managers, veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants and front-office staff members. The AAHA conference was the first veterinary conference to host live-streaming surgeries for veterinary professionals.[6]

The AAHA Yearly Conference[7] is the only conference that focuses exclusively on companion animal care. It has been one of the most respected forums for the sharing of both scientific and management knowledge in the veterinary profession since 1934.

AAHA also provides pet health information for pet owners.[8]

Publications

AAHA produces a variety of resources for veterinary professionals and pet owners, including the following.[9]

Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool

When an animal with a microchip is found, the AAHA's online tool will help veterinarians, animal shelters, animal control and others to locate which chip registries have that particular chip number on file. In the USA there is no centralized chip registry, however this tool checks each of the databases of participating pet chip registries and displays each registry which has that chip number on record.[10][11]

Partners for Healthy Pets

Partners for Healthy Pets (PHP) was founded by AAHA and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to address the declining health of pets and to increase the perceived value of preventive veterinary care.[12][13]

Pet Nutrition Alliance

The Pet Nutrition Alliance was created by several veterinary organizations including AAHA and AVMA to help raise awareness about the importance of proper pet nutrition, and the value of nutritional assessments for pet at every veterinary visit.[14]

References

  1. ^ "American Animal Hospital Association history". American Animal Hospital Association.
  2. ^ a b "AAHA accreditation: The difference between ordinary and extraordinary". American Animal Hospital Association.
  3. ^ "Ala. veterinary board accepts AAHA accreditation in lieu of inspection". DVM 360. April 19, 2013.
  4. ^ "American Animal Hospital Association Guidelines". American Animal Hospital Association. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  5. ^ "AAHA position statements and endorsements". American Animal Hospital Association. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  6. ^ "122-Foot Screen to Show Live Surgeries During AAHA Conference". Veterinary Practice News. March 12, 2013. Archived from the original on March 15, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  7. ^ "Yearly Conferences". American Animal Hospital Association. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  8. ^ "AAHA Guidelines for pet owners". American Animal Hospital Association. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  9. ^ "All publications". American Animal Hospital Association. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  10. ^ "Microchipping of Animals FAQ". American Veterinary Medical Association. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  11. ^ "FAQs | AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup". petmicrochiplookup.org. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  12. ^ "The History of the Partnership". Partners for Healthy Pets. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  13. ^ "Partners for Healthy Pets". American Veterinary Medical Association. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  14. ^ "Website provides tools for pet nutrition". American Veterinary Medical Association. Retrieved August 31, 2021.

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