What does it mean to be AAHA Accredited?

The St John’s Veterinary Hospital has been an AAHA Accredited hospital since 1991.

What is AAHA? AAHA Stands for American Animal Hospital Association. While every clinic in Newfoundland and Labrador must meeting the Veterinary Clinic Standards set out by the College of Veterinarians, meeting AAHA’s standards for accreditation is not mandatory.

We chose to hold ourselves to this higher standard, so that our clients can be assured that their pets will receive excellent care. To maintain our accreditation, our hospital receives regular comprehensive evaluations. The practice is evaluated on approximately 900 standards, covering every aspect of the hospital, from physical set up, to equipment, to staff training and procedures. These standards cover patient care, pain management, anesthesia, dentistry, emergency and critical care, surgery, pharmacy, laboratory, diagnostic imaging and more.

From the AAHA website:

AAHA-Accredited Hospitals: Champions for Excellent Care

Did you know that accreditation for animal hospitals is voluntary? Surprising, isn’t it? Nearly 60 percent of pet owners believe that their pet’s veterinary hospital is accredited when it is not. In actuality, only 12-15% of animal hospitals have gone through the accreditation evaluation process by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). We are proud to call ourselves an AAHA-accredited hospital.

In the United States, all human hospitals that serve people with Medicare must be accredited through an accrediting body; they undergo regular reviews and quality checks to ensure they meet standards of quality for every aspect of medical care. However, not all animal hospitals choose to pursue the AAHA-accreditation process since it is not required by law. When it comes to pet health care, accreditation is voluntary. The accreditation process is rigorous and time-consuming, and not every veterinary hospital wants to go through the lengthy process.

Accreditation by AAHA means that an animal hospital has been evaluated on approximately 900 standards of veterinary excellence. To maintain their accreditation, hospitals undergo a rigorous review by veterinary experts every three years. State and provincial regulations can vary widely – in fact, some states don’t routinely inspect hospitals, only going in for an inspection when a complaint is filed by a pet owner. AAHA accreditation is considered the standard for veterinary excellence, and does not vary between states or provinces (AAHA accredits hospitals in both the U.S. and Canada).

We are an AAHA-accredited veterinary hospital. That means we hold ourselves to a higher standard. Pets are our passion. And keeping them healthy is our #1 priority. Here, we strive to deliver excellent care for pets. Because your pets deserve nothing less.

Learn more about AAHA accreditation and why our accreditation is important to you and your pet. Visit aaha.org/petowner.