NueHealth
Blue Bell, a NueHealth facility, has achieved both three-year accreditation by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and Medicare Deemed Status.
Since its founding in 1979, the AAAHC has evaluated ambulatory surgery centers for accreditation using a strict and thorough process that includes a complete on-site survey. Accreditation signals that Jefferson Surgery Center – Blue Bell provides the highest quality of care to its patients as determined by the AAHC.
On average, the AAHC’s rigorous accreditation process takes approximately three to four months, Jefferson Surgery Center – Blue Bell voluntarily requested accreditation in December 2018. “We sought a true review of our entire organization,” said Philomena Glowka, Administrator of Jefferson Surgery Center – Blue Bell. “We want to build upon our strengths and identify areas where we can improve so we’re always providing the highest quality of care.”
Blue Bell staff and board members were thoroughly prepared for the accreditation process, resulting in a relatively short turnaround time of only two months. “It was hard, but it was definitely worthwhile – and even fun,” said Vicky Connor, Director of Clinical Operations and Project Director for NueHealth. “We had knowledgeable staff who were prepared and worked with a sense of camaraderie. To be able to take on something you know is going to be difficult but approach it with high quality and efficiency, that’s exactly how the Surgery Center itself runs.”
All ambulatory health care organizations seeking AAAHC accreditation undergo an extensive self-assessment and on-site survey by AAAHC expert surveyors, including physicians, nurses, and administrators who are actively involved in ambulatory health care.
“It is an honor to receive the accreditation, and validation of our commitment to our facilities and their patients,” said Connor.
Jefferson Surgery Center – Blue Bell was created when NueHealth, in partnership with Rothman Institute, Jefferson Health, and 14 individual multi-specialty physicians, acquired what was formerly the Blue Bell Surgery Center in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania in May 2018, with NueHealth assuming day-to-day management of the facility.
Originally founded in 2008 by a group of independent physicians, Blue Bell Surgery Center had been owned and managed by a third-party health system operator from 2013-2018. The reorganization into what is now Jefferson Surgery Center – Blue Bell put ownership of the surgery center back in the hands of physician owners, while also providing a lower cost site of service.
“The original doctors were an integral part of the accreditation process,” said Glowka. “They have a commitment to the facility, and they, along with the entire Blue Bell team, take great pride in the facility and in knowing we’re providing good care.”
For more information, visit www.aaahc.org.
