WSU Health and Wellness Services Earns National Accreditation

PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State University’s Health and Wellness Services has earned high praise for patient treatment and staff quality during its most recent accreditation review.

Dr. Bruce Wright, HWS director, said the university health services has received the highest rating by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care and was re-accredited for the maximum three-year period. WSU was first accredited by the organization in 1996 and then again in 1999.

Accreditation requires that HWS pass a series of rigorous and nationally-recognized standards for providing quality health care. More than 1,300 organizations across the United States are accredited by the AAAHC.

“We are very pleased to have our efforts recognized,” Wright said. “It was a thorough review by an independent team of our peers.” Some 24 areas of student health and wellness were reviewed, including quality of care, compliments and complaints, staff credentials and qualifications, management techniques, etc.

The WSU unit was lauded for its exceptional care of its patients, Wright said. Also recognized was the exceptional humane treatment of patients and staff quality. HWS has six physicians, five nurse practitioners or physician assistants and four registered nurses as well as four faculty positions. The unit lodges more than 38,000 visits per year by about 9,000 students.

“Our wellness program, too, was described as being well ahead of those offered at other colleges and universities,” the director said.

AAAHC accreditation should reassure patients that WSU’s health services unit brings quality care to university students, Wright said. “Our objective is to bring the best services and the highest quality care to students. This re-accreditation and comments indicate we are doing so.”

The review team spent two days visiting the WSU unit in September.

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