On top of the daily tasks involved with supporting a student health center that serves more than 16,000 patients each year, Allis Gilbert, former Operations Director at Colorado State University (CSU) Health Network, was about to dive into the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) accreditation process for the first time.

Judging from the number of binders acquired from past accreditation cycles located throughout the Center, she knew this was no easy task.

While attending a conference, Allis visited with AAAHC to learn more about the accreditation process and garner tips for CSU’s upcoming assessment/self-survey.

She asked if there was an alternative way to prepare for and conduct the assessment/self-survey electronically, using a software solution.

AAAHC shared a few options with her and after seeing the products firsthand, CSU Health Networks invested in PowerDMS.

By streamlining the process and managing AAAHC accreditation electronically, Allis reported they saved over $139k in staffing and supply costs. This savings includes the price of the PowerDMS software.

“Assessors are onsite for almost three days,” Allis said. “In the past, they would take all the binders with them after they left. With PowerDMS, I give them access to PowerDMS and my assessment a week prior to their arrival.”

This way, by the time the assessors arrive, they’ve already reviewed much of the relevant material. This saves CSU Health Network all the resources and hassles commonly associated with on-site assessments.