The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) has released its v45 Standards across all accreditation and certification programs. The new standards “introduce a comprehensive governance framework to help ambulatory healthcare organizations adopt and oversee AI responsibly.”
AAAHC states that its updated v45 Standards reinforce its commitment to “continuous QI, patient safety, and operational excellence while addressing the opportunities and challenges presented by rapidly evolving technologies.” It says the new Standards establish “clear expectations for organizational governance rather than regulating specific technologies,” and that they emphasize “leadership accountability, risk assessment, cybersecurity, human oversight, transparency, and continuous readiness to help organizations implement AI safely, ethically, and responsibly while maintaining patient trust.”
“Our new Standards are built on a simple principle: technology changes, but good governance endures,” stated AAAHC President and CEO Noel Adachi, MBA. “Rather than regulating AI itself, we’ve established a practical framework that helps organizations adopt innovation responsibly through strong leadership, accountability, human oversight, and continuous quality improvement.”
The v45 Standards release also includes refinements across AAAHC’s accreditation and certification programs “to reflect evolving clinical practice, regulatory requirements, emerging risks, and the changing needs of ambulatory health care organizations.”
AAAHC is releasing its v45 Standards across all program handbooks including Ambulatory, Medicare Deemed Status, Advanced Orthopaedic Certification, Health Plans, Health Plans FEHB, and Patient-Centered Medical Home. The Standards become effective for surveys conducted on or after Dec. 15, 2026. AAAHC encourages organizations to prepare by attending Achieving Accreditation and utilizing implementation resources, with more information available here.
