Lackland Air Force Base, Texas –
The 37th Medical Group is undergoing an extensive on-site accreditation survey July 18-20 to evaluate its compliance with Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care Inc. standards.
The 37th MDG, which was officially reactivated Dec. 22, requested the survey to assist in improving the delivery of quality health care.
"It is mandatory that all military medical facilities are accredited either through AAAHC or the Joint Commission," said Col. Norman Forbes, 37th MDG deputy commander. "By virtue of being a brand new medical group, we had to have accreditation within six months of standing up."
The Chicago-based accrediting organization began conducting the three-day survey July 18.
The AAAHC, founded in 1979, has become the leader in ambulatory health care accreditation with more than 2,800 organizations accredited nationwide.
The survey team, composed of physicians and health care administrators, will evaluate all medical facilities and all aspects of patient care.
The 37th MDG is responsible for seven operating locations and 16 buildings. This includes two new family practice clinics recently opened on the city's north side where there is a large military population.
The group has a staff of 384 and logs 130,000 patient visits a year.
"I believe that we will be fully accredited at the end of this survey," said Colonel Forbes.
AAAHC is expected to make its decision within 45 days of the on-site survey.