Margaret Spear, director of Penn State University Health Services, was recently named vice chair of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) Board of Directors. Spear represents the American College Health Association (ACHA) on the AAAHC board. Other officers named include Karen McKellar, chair (representing the Medical Group Management Association); W. Patrick Davey, MD, MBA, FACP, treasurer (representing the American Academy of Dermatology); and Timothy Peterson, MD, treasurer (representing the the AAAHC Surveyor Training and Education Committee).
"We look forward to working with the new officers as they continue our mission to ensure high quality ambulatory patient care," said John Burke, AAAHC president and chief executive officer. "Our highly dedicated Board will serve an important role as they oversee the direction of the AAAHC and development of Standards."
Spear has worked in a college health setting for more than 30 years. In addition to serving as director of University Health Services (UHS) since 1993, Spear serves as an adjunct professor and clinical professor of medicine at Penn State. Previously, Spear worked as a staff physician at the University of California, Berkeley and at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. Spear received her medical degree from Mount Sinai Medical School, Manhattan and has completed graduate course work in the Department of Health Policy and Administration at Penn State. She served on the AAAHC Board as secretary from 2010-11 and as treasurer from 2011-12. She currently serves as vice chair of the AAAHC Accreditation Committee and has been a surveyor for the AAAHC since 1994.
Founded in 1979, AAAHC is the leader in ambulatory health care accreditation with more than 5,000 organizations accredited nationwide. AAAHC accredits a variety of ambulatory health care organizations, including ambulatory surgery centers, office-based surgery centers, college student health centers, managed care organizations, military health care clinics, large medical and dental practices and medical homes. An international accreditation program was launched in Costa Rica in 2009; AAAHC will expand accreditation to other countries in the future. The AAAHC serves as an advocate for the provision of high-quality health care through the development of nationally recognized standards and through its survey and accreditation programs. AAAHC accreditation is recognized as a symbol of quality by third-party payers, medical organizations, liability insurance companies, state and federal agencies and the public. For more information, visit www.aaahc.org.
University Health Services (UHS) has maintained accreditation by AAAHC since 1997. UHS provides medical care and health promotion services that help students achieve and maintain optimal health. In addition to medical treatment for illness and injury, on-site services include lab, X-ray, pharmacy, a nutrition clinic and physical therapy. Students can schedule appointments online at http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/health/myUHS or call 814-863-0774. Additional information about UHS is available at http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/health.