Quad A

What Quad A does

Quad A (American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities) is a non-profit, physician-founded healthcare accreditation organization established in 1980 and headquartered in Highland Park, Illinois. It accredits ambulatory surgery centers, office-based surgery and procedural facilities, MedSpas, oral and maxillofacial surgery practices, pediatric dentistry practices, Medicare-participating RHCs and outpatient physical therapy clinics, and international surgery and dentistry facilities. Quad A holds CMS deemed status for Medicare programs and is recognized by state and federal agencies, making accreditation a near-prerequisite for facilities seeking Medicare reimbursement. The organization serves thousands of healthcare facilities across the U.S. and internationally, with standards aligned to bodies such as the Dubai Health Authority. CEO Tom Terranova leads the organization with a Director of Business Development (Michon Mayfield) and physician board oversight.

The organization's core technology is the Patient Safety Data Reporting (PSDR) system, a mandatory web-based portal where accredited facilities submit quarterly random cases and unanticipated sequelae. This system has aggregated data from hundreds of thousands of individual cases, creating one of the largest outpatient healthcare data repositories in the U.S. and informing continuous standards revision. Supporting infrastructure includes a web-based accreditation portal for applications, document management, and staff identification, alongside standards manuals distributed as downloadable PDFs. There is no public-facing API, and the technology footprint is operational rather than analytics-forward.

Quad A monetizes through recurring accreditation fees (application, onsite survey, annual renewal) across nine program lines, supplemented by one-time sales of standards manuals and free or registration-gated educational webinars. Go-to-market is sales-led and high-touch: dedicated accreditation specialists consult with prospective facilities, manage scheduling and surveys, and support ongoing compliance. Marketing channels include the QUAD A NOW podcast, an on-demand webinar library, blog content on standards updates, social media presence across LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram, and direct outreach. The organization is privately held as a 501(c)-style non-profit with no disclosed external capital, no M&A activity, and 101-250 employees.

Name

Quad A

Legal name

Quad A (American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities)

Website

https://quada.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Quad A is a non-profit healthcare accreditation organization founded in 1980 that accredits ambulatory surgery centers, office-based surgery facilities, MedSpas, oral surgery, and pediatric dentistry practices across the U.S. and internationally, leveraging CMS deemed status and a proprietary Patient Safety Data Reporting data repository.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Highland Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Accreditation Fees: Fees charged to healthcare facilities for the accreditation process, including application fees, survey fees, and annual renewal fees. The specific fee schedule is available as a downloadable PDF document.
2. Standards Manuals: Sale of accreditation standards manuals for various programs including Office-Based Surgery, Office-Based Procedural, Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, Pediatric Dentistry, Medicare ASC, Medicare OPT, Medicare RHC, and International Surgery & Dentistry.
3. Educational Webinars: On-demand webinar content providing education on compliance, DEA requirements, infection control, QAPI, and accreditation standards. Some content appears free while premium resources may require registration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Quad A (American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities) provides healthcare facility accreditation programs across outpatient, Medicare, international, and MedSpa settings. The organization evaluates facilities against rigorous patient safety and quality standards, conducts onsite surveys, and awards accreditation. Supporting its accreditation work, Quad A operates a Patient Safety Data Reporting (PSDR) system that requires quarterly case submissions from accredited facilities, creating one of the nation's largest healthcare data repositories.

Product overview

Quad A (American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities) operates as a non-profit, physician-founded and led global accreditation organization that provides a portfolio of accreditation programs for healthcare facilities. The core offerings include Outpatient Programs (Office-Based Surgery and Office-Based Procedural), Medicare Programs (Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Rural Health Clinics, Outpatient Physical Therapy), International Programs (Surgery and Dentistry), MedSpa Program, Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, and Pediatric Dentistry programs. Supporting these accreditation programs is the Patient Safety Data Reporting (PSDR) system—a data collection platform where facilities submit quarterly case data, creating a massive healthcare data repository. Additionally, Quad A provides educational content through the QUAD A NOW podcast and on-demand webinars. The organization functions as a platform delivering standards, surveys, compliance tools, and data reporting capabilities to ensure patient safety across various healthcare settings worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Outpatient Programs (Office-Based Surgery and Office-Based Procedural)
• Medicare Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC) Program Medicare Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC) accreditation program for facilities seeking Medicare certification, deemed status, and reimbursement.
• Medicare Rural Health Clinics (RHC) Program Medicare Rural Health Clinic accreditation program for qualifying rural healthcare facilities seeking Medicare certification.
• Medicare Outpatient Physical Therapy (OPT) Program Medicare Outpatient Physical Therapy accreditation program for physical therapy facilities seeking Medicare certification.
• International Programs (Surgery & Dentistry) International Surgery and Dentistry accreditation programs enabling global facilities to meet standardized safety and quality requirements, with alignment to Dubai Health Authority (DHA) requirements.
• MedSpa Program Non-Surgical Aesthetic and Wellness (MedSpa) accreditation program covering aesthetic and wellness facilities, with Version 1.1 of the standards manual released.
• Oral Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) Program Oral Maxillofacial Surgery accreditation program for OMS facilities, addressing surgical safety and anesthesia classification compliance.
• Pediatric Dentistry (PD) Program Pediatric Dentistry accreditation program for pediatric dental practices performing surgical procedures under sedation or general anesthesia.
• Patient Safety Data Reporting (PSDR) System A required online reporting system that promotes ongoing data collection to identify trends affecting patient outcomes. Facilities submit random cases quarterly and unanticipated sequelae as they occur, feeding one of the nation's largest healthcare data repositories.

Quantifiable outcome

• Data from hundreds of thousands of individual cases informing patient safety standards

Named customers1 record

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered moderate and minor.

• SAMBA (Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerQUAD A's podcast features Dr. Meghan Valach, Anesthesiologist-in-Chief at Ambulatory Anesthesia Care - Midwest and Chair of the Office-Based Anesthesia Committee for SAMBA, discussing anesthesia care in ambulatory settings. SAMBA provides guidelines and leadership on anesthesia best practices that inform QUAD A's accreditation standards.
• AORN (Association of periOperative Registered Nurses)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerQUAD A's podcast features Jeanine Watson, Senior Manager of the Ambulatory Surgery Division at AORN, discussing nursing shortages in surgical specialties and ASCs. AORN's guidelines and resources complement QUAD A's accreditation standards for ambulatory surgery centers.
• ISAPS (International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerISAPS is mentioned in QUAD A's podcast as an organization supporting international meetings and conferences for plastic surgeons. QUAD A has collaborated with ISAPS on global accreditation efforts and international program alignment.
• Press GaneyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoan Kelly, Partner at Press Ganey, appears on QUAD A's podcast discussing patient experience data and the role of accreditation in outpatient care. Press Ganey provides patient experience analytics that complement QUAD A's quality improvement approach.
• Orbis InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Hunter Cherwek from Orbis International appears on QUAD A's podcast discussing the Flying Eye Hospital and global blindness prevention efforts. Orbis focuses on capacity building in low-to-middle income countries.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AAAHC (Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care): AAAHC is a US nonprofit accreditor focused on ambulatory health care settings including ASCs and office-based surgery centers — the same ambulatory accreditation niche as Quad A, making it the closest head-to-head competitor.
• ACHC (Accreditation Commission for Health Care): ACHC is a CMS-deemed accreditor that has absorbed HFAP and now offers accreditation across ambulatory, home health, hospice, and specialty settings; it competes directly with Quad A for ASC and outpatient credentials.
• HFAP (Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program): HFAP is a CMS-deemed accreditation program (now under ACHC) that accredits hospitals, ASCs, and office-based surgery centers; it overlaps directly with Quad A's Medicare Programs portfolio.
• DNV Healthcare (DNV GL Healthcare): DNV Healthcare is an international CMS-approved hospital and ambulatory accreditor using ISO-style standards; it competes with Quad A for ASC and outpatient accreditation contracts, particularly among larger multi-site operators.
• NCQA (National Committee for Quality Assurance): NCQA is a leading US healthcare quality accreditation body (health plans, PCMH, population health); it is comparable to Quad A in mission (third-party healthcare quality verification) and operates in adjacent provider-quality segments.
• CHAP (Community Health Accreditation Partner): CHAP is a CMS-deemed accreditor focused on home and community-based care, including home health and hospice; it is comparable to Quad A as a nonprofit, mission-driven, CMS-approved accreditor with a defined vertical specialty.
• URAC: URAC accredits healthcare organizations across health plans, specialty pharmacies, and provider organizations; it is a peer of Quad A in the nonprofit third-party healthcare accreditation space with overlapping customer profiles.
• CARF International: CARF International is an international, mission-driven accreditor for behavioral health, aging services, and rehabilitation facilities; it is comparable to Quad A as a nonprofit, international healthcare accreditor serving specialty provider verticals.

Broad incumbents

• The Joint Commission: The Joint Commission is the largest US healthcare accreditation body, covering hospitals and a growing ambulatory portfolio; it competes with Quad A for ASC and office-based facility credentials and represents the dominant incumbent in adjacent accreditation categories.

Regional players

• IMQ (Institute for Medical Quality): IMQ is a California-based accreditation body for medical practices and ambulatory facilities; it is a regional peer to Quad A with similar ambulatory accreditation offerings, primarily serving the western US market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/QuadANow
• Facebookfacebook.com/QuadANow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/quadanow
• Instagraminstagram.com/quadanow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Quad A