AAHA Accreditation

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) is an international association of more than 36,000 veterinary care providers who treat companion animals. Established in 1933, AAHA is well-known among veterinarians and pet owners for its high standards in veterinary practices and quality pet care.

Since 1987, we have been evaluated based on AAHA's Standards of Accreditation - an extensive list of more than 900 standards that directly correlate to the care we are providing your pet - to ensure that we comply with the association's high quality standards of care. These standards cover nearly every aspect of our hospital, including surgery, pharmacy, laboratory, exam facilities, medical records, cleanliness, emergency services, dental and nursing care, diagnostic imaging, and anesthesiology.  The AAHA Standards of Accreditation, developed and published by AAHA, are widely accepted as representing those components of veterinary practice that represent high-quality care. The Standards are periodically reviewed and updated to ensure that they remain consistent with evolving knowledge and technology. Less than 15% of pet hospitals in North America meet these stringent requirements. Accreditation helps our veterinary hospital stay on the leading edge of veterinary medicine and provide the quality and range of services you and your pet deserve.

Level I Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Facility Certification

The Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals at Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University has recently received certification as a Level I veterinary emergency and critical care facility by the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (VECCS). Foster Hospital is one of two facilities with a Level I designation in the state of Massachusetts and one of four facilities with this designation at a veterinary school in North America. The certification program identifies three levels (I through III) based on facility operating hours, equipment and personnel, with level I representing a 24-hour acute care facility with the resources and specialty training necessary to provide sophisticated emergent and critical patient care. There are currently 27 Level I facilities in North America.

VECCS is an international, professional society of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and managers dedicated to promoting the advancement of knowledge and high standards of practice in veterinary emergency medicine and critical patient care. The certification program aims to raise the standard of care, while also increasing public and professional awareness in the area of veterinary emergency and critical patient care and recognizing the hospitals that meet and exceed the minimum standards and guidelines.

Foster Hospital provides emergency care for small animal patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Since 1979, Foster Hospital has offered consultation, referral and emergency veterinary services for the care of dogs, cats, and exotic pets. With faculty specialists in every field of animal medicine, the hospital is able to diagnose and treat even the most difficult and complex conditions. This recent VECCS Level I certification builds on Foster Hospital’s existing achievements and certifications, including Level I trauma center designation from the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care’s Veterinary Committee on Trauma, American Animal Hospital Association accreditation, and Cat Friendly Practice ® designation from the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the International Society for Feline Medicine.