AAAHC Accredits Esmail Oral, Facial and Dental Implant Surgery

The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) has accredited Esmail Oral, Facial and Dental Implant Surgery, located in Bellingham, Washington. Led by Nadeem Esmail, DDS, MD, the practice offers a full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) services, and it is now the only AAAHC accredited OMS center in Whatcom County.

“This accreditation helps set us apart from other oral surgery practices in our area, as we are now the only AAAHC accredited OMS center in Whatcom County,” said Dr. Esmail. “We’re honored by the accreditation, and I’m grateful to my team for their hard work to bring it to fruition, especially my practice leader, Sasha, who managed the process,” continued Dr. Esmail. “The accreditation process is rigorous with many checks-and-balances in place to ensure our practice meets the highest standards of patient care and safety, areas that are extremely important to us.”

The recognized leader in ambulatory health care accreditation, the AAAHC has accredited more than 6,700 organizations since its establishment in 1979, and only a fraction of which focus on OMS. The AAAHC engages a wide range of ambulatory health care experts to develop, review and revise standards of high-quality health care and patient safety. The nonprofit also assesses organizations against these standards, as well as their own policies and procedures; and it creates tools to measure and support continuous quality improvement.

A testament to clinical excellence and a noteworthy achievement on its own, the AAAHC accreditation also designates the practice as an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Center of Excellence. Created by U.S. Oral Surgery Management (USOSM) in July 2023, the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Centers of Excellence program is the first of its kind within the OMS specialty. The program is designed to recognize USOSM partner practices that consistently deliver superior patient care and clinical excellence, to encourage those characteristics in other practices and to spur additional practice growth.

“Accreditation by our third-party partner is the final step in receiving the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Centers of Excellence designation,” explained USOSM President and CEO Richard Hall. “The AAAHC provides additional oversight for the program and helps ensure the highest levels of quality control. We’re proud of Dr. Esmail and his team for their outstanding dedication to clinical excellence.”

To qualify for the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Centers of Excellence program, USOSM partner practices must apply to and receive approval from the company’s clinical governance board. Once approved, the OMS practices must meet all eligibility criteria, pass internal inspections and meet the accreditation requirements from the AAAHC. Esmail Oral, Facial and Dental Implant Surgery is one of the first USOSM practices to complete the Centers of Excellence program.

“I’m proud to be one of the first two practices to participate in this quality control initiative,” said Dr. Esmail. “Exceptional patient care is the cornerstone of our practice.”

As defined by the National Library of Medicine, centers of excellence are specialized programs within health care institutions that supply exceptionally high concentrations of expertise and related resources – such as leadership, best practices, research and training.

“Clinical excellence is about so much more than just excellent outcomes,” added USOSM Chief Clinical Officer Vincent J. Perciaccante, DDS, FACS. “It’s also about patient-centered care, patient safety, performance improvement, interdisciplinary education, excellence in communication and always maintaining the highest standards in ethics and professionalism. Dr. Esmail and the Esmail Oral, Facial and Dental Implant Surgery team embody all those qualities.”

Dr. Esmail is a practicing, board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon in Whatcom County, who has earned both his DDS and an MD. Board certification is the highest credential that can be obtained in the OMS specialty, according to the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

A highly skilled and educated surgeon, Dr. Esmail received his undergraduate and dental degrees from the University of Washington and his medical degree from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He also completed six years of residency training at UT Southwestern/Parkland Hospital, considered to be one of the world’s most elite OMS training programs. Dr. Esmail’s extensive training in reconstructive maxillofacial surgery has provided him with a unique skill set, allowing him to provide the highest level of patient care and safety.

Dr. Esmail is a diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and a fellow of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. In addition, he is a member of the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology, American Dental Association, Washington State Dental Association and Mount Baker Dental Society.