Turquoise Animal Hospital – San Diego Veterinarian

Turquoise Animal Hospital has been AAHA-Accredited Since 1960

AAHA Accreditation: Meeting the Highest Standards of Veterinary Care

Turquoise Animal Hospital is an American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Accredited Hospital and has been a member since 1960. This means that we are evaluated every 3 years and must pass 900 rigorous standards that directly correlate to the care we are providing your pet.

When it comes to pet health care, accreditation is voluntary. In fact, only about 15% of veterinary hospitals (also called clinics or practices) are accredited.

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) is the only organization that accredits veterinary hospitals — both general and specialty practices — in the United States and Canada.

Practices are evaluated against a pool of more than 900 standards that represent best practices in veterinary care and hospital management. A national taskforce of veterinary professionals created and continually updates the standards to reflect the latest developments and improvements in patient care, surgery, medical records, cleanliness, staff safety, leadership, and a host of other areas essential to excellent patient care.

After applying to become accredited, a veterinary practice usually spends several weeks or months examining and fine-tuning its systems, processes, and protocols (procedures) to be sure every aspect meets AAHA’s standards of quality.

Often the whole practice team becomes involved, which builds collaboration across the entire clinic — an important factor in quality pet care.

When the practice is ready, AAHA sends consultants — trained professionals with veterinary backgrounds — to conduct an on-site evaluation.

Practices are awarded points for each standard they meet, and they must amass a certain score in order to pass the evaluation. Accreditation is by no means guaranteed, and practices that pass evaluations often host parties for staff and clients to celebrate achieving the milestone.

To maintain accredited status, clinics must be re-evaluated every three years. This ensures that every AAHA-accredited practice represents the most current thinking about what constitutes the best health and medical care for pets.

Pet owners can feel reassured about the care their pets receive at AAHA-accredited hospitals. There is a saying among business leaders: Good management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things. Accreditation assures you that your veterinarian does both.