AAAHC vs. The Joint Commission: Which Accreditation Fits Your Behavioral Health Business

Market credibility, insurance credentialing, and even licensing require a behavioral health business to be accredited, which is why it is not just a badge of prestige. Owing to this, the choice of accrediting body takes a crucial turn, with implications on operations, finances, and regulatory compliance.

The most common bodies relevant for behavioral health businesses include the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and The Joint Commission. This blog will compare and contrast the AAAHC vs. the Joint Commission for behavioral health business owners. 

Learn whether AAAHC or the Joint Commission is the accrediting body for your behavioral health business from accreditation expert Strategique Partners. 

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Joint Commission vs. AAAHC: What Do These Accrediting Bodies Represent?

Joint Commission and AAAHC are accrediting bodies suited for behavioral health companies like drug rehab centers, outpatient treatment, mental health clinics, and partial hospitalization programs. Both have certain benefits of accreditation for healthcare businesses. A breakdown of each and what they mean for behavioral health businesses is given in the following lines:

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1. Joint Commission

The Joint Commission is one of the most widely recognized and oldest accreditation organizations in the United States. It accredits and certifies over 22,000 healthcare organizations and programs, focusing on improving healthcare quality and patient safety.

It also accredits medical bodies serving globally through its international branch, making it an overarching accreditation for behavioral health businesses worldwide

Through its international branch, it is the main body that accredits medical services globally. The Joint Commission was founded in 1951 and is headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.

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3. Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC)

AAAHC envisions developing and adopting nationally recognized standards in healthcare by focusing largely on ambulatory health care settings. The ambulatory healthcare organizations include:

• surgery centers
• office-based surgery practices
• primary care practices.

It has a deemed status for certain Medicare-related surveys (for ambulatory surgery centers). Among behavioral health businesses, outpatient settings are more likely to benefit from it. Like The Joint Commission, it is also headquartered in Illinois. 

Choosing an accreditor is a later step in how to start a rehab center, once you’re licensed.

Joint Commission vs. AAAHC: Key Differences

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The defining difference shared between the Joint Commission and AAAHC is the latter’s focus on outpatient services. This means there are certain implications of choosing each of the accreditations for your behavioral health business, especially when it comes to the business model you’re implementing.

For instance, Joint Commission accreditation for detox centers and AAAHC accreditation for a detox program can have different effects. Therefore, you should know these regulatory compliance differences as a business owner. The following discussion is about the key differences between the Joint Commission vs. AAAHC:

Accreditation aside, outpatient providers must meet the state requirements for intensive outpatient program.

1. Recognition by State and Regulatory Agencies

An accreditation from the Joint Commission is highly recognized across the United States of America, so much so that they even accept the Joint Commission for regulatory/licensure, or use it for oversight. The AAAHC accreditation is recognized as well. However, in some states, regulatory bodies may prefer or strongly favor the Joint Commission, particularly in the case of residential or higher intensity services; that is not to say that AAAHC accreditation is weak by any means. It is strong but more specific. 

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2. Process of Survey and Periodic Inspections

Unannounced surveys and periodic inspections are the norm with the Joint Commission. They are often characterized by the following:

1. Rigorous standards for the environment of care
2. Tough on-site inspections
3. Detailed inspection of safety leadership and crisis management for the behavioral health business

On the other hand, AAAHC uses a three-cycle mechanism for the survey. However, there are fewer unannounced site audits for ambulatory services. Moreover, the requirements are less onerous in comparison to those of the Joint Commission.

3. Comparison of Costs in AAAHC vs. the Joint Commission

The cost of accreditations for behavioral health businesses is often the deciding factor in the choice of the accrediting body. Getting accredited by the Joint Commission is characterized by the following:

1. Higher cost
2. Require more investment in compliance, management, and staffing
3. More extensive documentation

Thankfully, AAAHC accreditations often cost less in terms of overhead for outpatient behavioral health practices. Furthermore, they require:

1. Less intensive physical facility
2. Easier infrastructure requirements if not inpatient

If CARF is also on your shortlist, weigh the CARF accreditation cost alongside these two bodies before you commit.

4. Suited Nature of Behavioral Health Business

Joint Commission accreditations are often suited to facilities offering high-intensity behavioral health services. For instance, businesses like PHP, IOP, and detox programs are more suited to the Joint Commission. PHP program accreditation requirements are such that they suit the business type because the requirements include:

1. Strong credential
2. Wider recognition
3. Greater payer and state agency trust

In the case of AAAHC, those businesses are suited for cost savings, such as outpatient clinics, ambulatory behavioral health, possibly smaller practices, or expansion into ambulatory levels of care.

Accreditation also strengthens your hand when you eventually sell your mental health practice.

How an Accreditation Expert Like Strategique Partners Helps You in Choosing between the Joint Commission and AAAHC?

Strategique Partners is an experienced campaigner in terms of helping behavioral health businesses navigate licensing, regulatory compliance, and accreditations. Whether it is CARF accreditation for a business like PHP or helping businesses meet JCAHO behavioral health standards, it has always been successful in helping gain desired outcomes for its partner businesses. Its service line in this regard extends to the following:

1. Accreditation-related support
2. Operational assistance to achieve standards
3. Regulatory compliance services
4. Licensing assistance 

Do you want to choose the best accreditation body for your business? If yes, Strategique Partners will help you with AAAHC vs. The Joint Commission accreditations.

FAQs Regarding AAAHC vs. The Joint Commission

The following set of queries further addresses the differences between AAAHC and The Joint Commission.

What Factors Behavioral Health Businesses Should Consider When Choosing between AAAHC vs. The Joint Commission? 

To decide whether to pursue AAAHC or the Joint Commission, behavioral health business owners should consider the following aspects:

1. Service Type and Intensity
2. Payer and Regulatory Environment in Your State
3. Cost
4. Timeline and Readiness
5. Long-Term Strategy and Growth Goals

How to Prepare a Business for AAAHC or TJC Accreditations?

You can prepare your business for either of the accreditations by following these generalized steps:

1. Conduct a gap analysis comparing current operations to both AAAHC and Joint Commission standards
2. Train staff, leadership, and governance in accreditation methods
3. Build or strengthen policies in patient safety, risk management, clinical outcomes tracking, and behavioral health data privacy
4. Budget and timeline: allow 6-12+ months for the accreditation process

What is the Scope of Services for AAAHC and the Joint Commission Accreditations?

In the case of Joint Commission accreditation, the scope of services is very broad, including inpatient, residential behavioral health, outpatient, PHP, and IOP programs. For AAAHC, the primary focus is on ambulatory and outpatient behavioral health businesses. The scope only extends to ambulatory health care settings and ambulatory surgery centers.