What accreditations do ambulatory surgery centers have?

In addition to meeting State and Federal regulations including CMS requirements, most ASCs acquire accreditation by independent accrediting bodies such as AAAHC, ACHA, Joint Commission, or Quad A. These accreditations demonstrate that ASCs meet specific standards of quality and safety in patient care.

How do ASCs maintain patient privacy and safety?

ASCs work hard for their patients by maintaining privacy, safety, and the best patient care possible. They meet State and Federal regulations including HIPAA requirements, CMS standards, and often achieve independent accreditation to ensure quality and safety in patient care.

Healthcare cyber attacks - HIPAA security and data protection

HIPAA Tip: National Ambulatory Surgery Center Month 2025

Q: When is National Ambulatory Surgery Center Month?

National Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Month is celebrated every August. It recognizes the vital role ASCs play in delivering high-quality, cost-effective patient care with lower costs, shorter recovery times, and exceptional commitment to safety.

Q: What are the benefits of ambulatory surgery centers?

ASCs offer patients lower costs, shorter recovery times, and outpatient surgeries compared to hospital settings. Since their inception more than four decades ago, ASCs have demonstrated an exceptional ability to improve quality and customer service while simultaneously reducing healthcare costs.

Q: Why are ambulatory surgery centers important?

ASCs stand out as an exception to the rule in healthcare—they improve quality and customer service while reducing costs. At a time when most developments in healthcare services and technology come with higher price tags, ASCs have maintained their ability to provide high-quality care at lower costs for more than 40 years.

August 5, 2025

Celebrating Excellence in Outpatient Surgical Care

Welcome to this week’s HIPAA Tip Tuesday! This August, we’re celebrating National Ambulatory Surgery Center Month—a time to recognize the vital role ASCs play in delivering high-quality, cost-effective patient care. Dawn Meglino shares why ASCs deserve recognition and appreciation for their commitment to safety and excellence.

TL;DR – Why We Celebrate ASCs:

ASCs offer lower costs and shorter recovery times than hospital settings
Provide high-quality outpatient surgical care with exceptional safety records
Meet State and Federal regulations plus CMS requirements
Achieve independent accreditation (AAAHC, ACHA, Joint Commission, Quad A)
Improve quality and customer service while reducing healthcare costs

If you don’t know this by now, you should: August is National Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Month. HUGE shoutout to all the ASCs for not only the opportunity they offer to patients with lower costs, shorter recovery times and outpatient surgeries, but to the high quality patient care and commitment to safety.

The ASC Impact on Healthcare

Since their inception more than four decades ago, ASCs have demonstrated an exceptional ability to improve quality and customer service while simultaneously reducing costs. At a time when most developments in health care services and technology typically come with a higher price tag, ASCs stand out as an exception to the rule.

Commitment to Quality and Safety Standards

In addition to meeting State and Federal regulations including CMS requirements, most ASCs also acquire accreditation by an independent accrediting body (AAAHC, ACHA, Joint Commission, Quad A), meeting specific standards of quality and safety in patient care.

Appreciating ASC Excellence

The next time you go in for a routine procedure or need to use an outpatient facility for a necessary condition that needs treating, think about how hard the ASC is working for their patients in keeping privacy, safety and the best patient care possible.

Thank you ASCs for all you do!

HIPAA compliance isn’t a one-time checklist. It’s ongoing, programmatic in nature, and requires demonstrated reasonable diligence to stay in good standing with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Anatomy IT can provide you peace of mind with our expert HIPAA compliance services. To learn more, contact us here.

About the Author: Dawn Meglino
HIPAA Compliance Specialist, CHPSE, CCSA, CCAP

Dawn Meglino is a certified HIPAA Compliance Specialist at Anatomy IT helping healthcare organizations navigate complex security and compliance requirements. She holds multiple cybersecurity and compliance certifications and regularly advises medical practices on breach prevention and HIPAA best practices.