AAHA now offers network accreditation

PetWell Partners, a Houston-based national veterinary practice network, has become the first organization to earn Practice Network Accreditation from the American Animal Hospital Association.

Announced in October, Practice Network Accreditation is a model for assessing and recognizing an organization that owns or operates multiple veterinary practices, according to a press release.

Under this model, the parent company receives accreditation rather than individual practices. To become accredited, an organization must meet standards that are separate from AAHA's traditional medical standards and designed to evaluate business operations at the network level, including medical autonomy, leadership, culture, human capital management, marketing and communications, financial management, and stewardship of the veterinary profession.

For an organization to be eligible, 90 percent or more of its practices must be accredited or pre-accredited according to the AAHA Standards of Accreditation.

"As the trend of corporate ownership increases throughout the profession, there is an opportunity to standardize best practices for delivery of care to improve patient health while helping these companies promote excellence throughout the practices within their network," said AAHA CEO Michael Cavanaugh in the release.

Founded in 2013, PetWell Partners is a network of more than 30 hospitals, all of which are AAHA-accredited or pre-accredited.