End-of-Life Care accreditation
Now available: a new AAHA accreditation model
It’s no secret that today’s pet owners increasingly view their pets as family. Forty-percent of surveyed owners said they would likely not return to a veterinary hospital where they had an unsatisfactory pet euthanasia experience.
That’s why AAHA developed a new accreditation model called End-of-Life Care accreditation.
AAHA’s new End-of-Life Care accreditation will help veterinary practices elevate these services so patients and clients receive appropriate supportive and emotional care, further enhancing and strengthening the human-animal bond.
How were the End-of-Life Care accreditation standards developed?
A task force consisting of AAHA’s Member Experience team and subject matter experts was created to establish the standards for this accreditation model. Led by Kathleen Cooney, DVM, MS, CHPV, CCFP, founder of Home to Heaven, and director of education for the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy, the task force reviewed current traditional accreditation standards, and, when differences were noted between general practice standards and end-of-life care, new standards were created to reflect those differences. Additional standards reflecting unique methods of support and service related to end-of-life care were also added.
Many of the standards developed by the task force are based on the 2016 AAHA/IAAHPC End-of-Life Care Guidelines; Dr. Cooney contributed to those guidelines as well.
Who is eligible for End-of-Life Care accreditation?
- An AAHA-accredited practice with a dedicated department committed to providing end-of-life care services. The dedicated department may be brick-and-mortar and/or mobile.
OR - A practice solely dedicated to providing end-of-life care services. The practice may be brick-and-mortar and/or mobile.
Practices that are not AAHA-accredited and are not standalone end-of-life care practices are not eligible for AAHA’s End-of-Life Care accreditation at this time.
Interested in End-of-Life Care accreditation?
Contact eolcaccreditation@aaha.org for access to the End-of-Life Care standards; members of AAHA-accredited practices can download the pdf below.