AAAHC now offering Medical Home accreditation
Expanding on its reach, the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) announced it has added standards for the Medical Home to its 2009 Accreditation Handbook for Ambulatory Care.
The AAAHC defines the Medical Home as a “patient-centered, physician-directed center that offers a comprehensive, accessible, continuous and organized approach to practice,” with a foundation comprised of the relationship among the patient, his or her family and the Medical Home itself. It is the primary point of care for the patient.
The AAAHC has instructed organizations seeking accreditation as a Medical Home to designate it on the survey application. More information on the AAAHC and its Medical Home accreditation are available at www.aaahc.org.
Small-town Colorado surgery center provides free surgery
While the healthcare debate continued to rage in Washington, the Pueblo Surgery Center in Pueblo, Colo. provided free outpatient surgeries for about 40 patients in early October.
NPR reports the center performed a variety of procedures on the uninsured patients, who were screened from an initial group of about 100. The Pueblo facility received assistance from charities and from about 50 surgical technology students from a nearby school.
Plastic surgeon society study shows most women not informed of breast reconstruction surgery eligibility
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) released statistics indicating a majority of women who are eligible for breast reconstruction procedures are not informed of the option by their health providers.
While breast reconstructive procedures increased by 79,000 from 2007 to 2008, the ASPS says as many as 70% of breast cancer patients eligible for the procedure are unaware of that option.
"We know that there are many issues surrounding breast reconstruction and that addressing them all will take time, but this is a very important first step," ASPS John Canady, MD, said in a press release. "Our goal is to make sure that those women who are not getting breast reconstruction are doing so of their own accord and not because they are uneducated or uninformed about their options."
Read more news in AORN Management Connections.