Congratulations to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) teaching hospital, which became the first site in the nation to receive Level 1 Emergency Department (ED) Accreditation from ACEP on February 27, 2025. We recognize their team's dedicated focus, extra hours, and collaboration to achieve this outstanding recognition.
The ACEP ED Accreditation ensures that facilities and staff have the necessary resources to provide optimal patient care in an environment that supports their practice. By promoting transparency and establishing standards, the program aims to create the safest and most effective environments for our patients, physicians, and all ED staff.
Based on ACEP’s policies, the ED Accreditation program emphasizes staffing emergency departments with Board-Certified emergency physicians who lead multi-disciplinary teams. It also acknowledges the crucial role of other health care professionals and the need for resources to ensure that every patient receives the highest quality of care.
Meeting ACEP ED Accreditation standards enhances value for patients, hospitals, physicians, nurses, and other team members alike. By committing to these standards, emergency departments not only enhance quality but also foster a culture of excellence and safety that benefits everyone involved. Until this program was developed, no accreditation or classification programs recognized EDs that adhere to best practice standards and policies.
The nation’s emergency departments vary in staffing, capabilities and working conditions. Hospitals and emergency departments committed to high, evidence-based standards, including staffing by board-certified emergency physicians, should be recognized for their efforts to provide the best care possible to the communities they serve.
The ACEP ED Accreditation program launched its pilot phase of the program in the early summer 2024. Five hospitals enrolled as pilot sites and agreed to provide criteria and process feedback to the program’s Board of Governors.
Using that feedback, a nationwide program launch is slated for early summer 2025.
If you would like to know more information about the program, please join ACEP’s ED Accreditation program interest list and be among the first to know when applications will be accepted.
