Accreditation

Acadian, only 1 of 3 Ambulance Companies in Louisiana Granted 3-year Accreditation  

Paramedic of the Year Roy Payne applies an accreditation sticker to an Acadian ambulance. Acadian Ambulance Service has been granted full three-year re-accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS). Acadian was first accredited in 1995 for its compliance with national standards of excellence.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, October 6, 2006

Acadian Ambulance Service has been granted full three-year re-accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS). Acadian was first accredited in 1995 for its compliance with national standards of excellence.

For accreditation and re-accreditation, Acadian voluntarily underwent an intensive process that included comprehensive documentation and on-site review by national experts in emergency medical services.

VP of Operations Jerry Romero said, “Accreditation signifies that ambulance services have met the ‘gold standard' determined by the ambulance industry to be essential in a modern emergency medical services provider.”

In announcing their successful completion of the process, CAAS Executive Director Meredith Hellestrae told AASI officials “your agency has done an outstanding job.”

Acadian Chairman & CEO Richard Zuschlag said accreditation is important not only in assuring the highest standards of out-of-hospital emergency medical care for communities presently served by the company, but is also vital to company growth. “We are implementing an expansion program designed to enhance the value of company stock acquired by our employee-owners,” he said. “To expand into new markets, we must be prepared to show that our quality of service is unsurpassed. Most communities use a competitive bid process through which a single provider is chosen for emergency and non-emergency service. While cost is a factor, the key element is quality. They want the best for their people. Anyone can say they are the best. Accreditation makes you prove it.”

Zuschlag said the re-accreditation process was “extremely demanding.”

“Our people spent long hours documenting that our level of service meets the CAAS Gold Standard,” he said. “We are grateful for their hard work, but even more so for the commitment to excellence they all share. It is a key element in maintaining the level of service necessary for accreditation.”

Zuschlag paid special tribute to Bill Vidacovich, vice president of fleet maintenance and Faith Ardoin, public relations and marketing assistant, who represented the company in interaction with CAAS.

Zuschlag said the accreditation process is open to all ambulance services that believe they are capable of meeting the high standards of excellence. “Presently, Acadian is among 100 companies with a 3-year accreditation in the nation. Being re-accredited is significant in that it means our people have not wavered in their commitment to excellence. I am confident that it will serve as a stimulus for further progress.”

CAAS is a non-profit organization which was established to encourage and promote quality patient care in America's medical transportation system. The primary focus of the Commission's standards is high-quality patient care. This is accomplished by establishing national standards which not only address the delivery of patient care, but also the ambulance service's total operation and its relationships with other agencies, the general public, and the medical community. The Commission's standards usually exceed state or local licensing requirements.

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