National organization established in 1980 to develop an accreditation program to standardize and improve the quality of medical and surgical care in ambulatory surgery facilities while assuring the public of high standards for patient care and safety in an accredited facility. Its mission is to develop and implement standards of excellence to ensure the highest quality of patient care through an accreditation program that serves both the medical community and the public interest by establishing a means for measuring medical competence and providing an external source for evaluating patient safety in the ambulatory surgery setting. AAAASF accreditation has been approved by some State Departments of Health in lieu of State Licensure. Many private insurance carriers recognize accreditation by AAAASF for reimbursement of covered procedures. For insurance carriers that require Medicare certification, AAAASF has a separate program to evaluate and approve facilities for certification by Medicare, using the same peer inspection process that is used for regular accreditation.