CAAHEP accreditation is the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs' review of an allied health program against the Standards and Guidelines for its profession, carried out with that profession's Committee on Accreditation (CoA). This page is for colleges, hospital education departments and training organizations running or starting a program in anesthesia technology, anesthesiologist assistant, perfusion, surgical assisting or surgical technology. Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) builds the self-study workplan, evidence index and rotation records; your faculty own curriculum and clinical supervision.

Last reviewed: October 2026.

What is CAAHEP accreditation for perioperative and anesthesia programs?

CAAHEP describes its model this way: "CAAHEP Standards have common elements with discipline-specific requirements for training entry level practitioners in that profession" (CAAHEP, Standards and Guidelines). Each of the five professions on this page has its own standards document and its own CoA:

Each standards document defines the graduate the program is preparing. Two examples: "The Anesthesiologist Assistant (AA) is qualified by academic and clinical education to provide anesthetic care under the direction of a qualified physician anesthesiologist" (Anesthesiologist Assistant Standards); and "The surgical technologist works under medical supervision to facilitate the safe and effective conduct of invasive surgical procedures" (Surgical Technology Standards).

The core document of the review is the self-study: it "is completed by the program, and documents how the program meets each of the Standards as outlined in the Standards and Guidelines document for the applicable profession. Each CoA develops the self-study document template that must be completed by the program for the applicable discipline" (CAAHEP, Accreditation Process). "Site visits may be on-site (in-person), virtual (synchronous video), or hybrid (a mixture of on-site and virtual)" (CAAHEP, Accreditation Process). The CAAHEP Board acts on CoA recommendations "at one of its six meetings per year (January, March, May, July, September, and November)" (CAAHEP, Accreditation Process).

Who needs it and what triggers it

The buyers are the sponsors of these programs. CAAHEP's sponsor template, quoted here from its Medical Assisting Standards, reads: "A program sponsor must be at least one of the following 1. A post-secondary academic institution accredited by an institutional accrediting agency that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education ... 2. A hospital, clinic or medical center accredited by a healthcare accrediting agency that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ... 3. A branch of the United States Armed Forces, or a federal or state governmental agency ... 4. A consortium" (CAAHEP Medical Assisting Standards). Confirm the sponsor section in your own profession's standards.

The triggers:

• Creating a program. For many professions, "CAAHEP accreditation qualifies graduates to take certification/licensure exams and/or obtain employment" (CAAHEP, Program Director FAQs). Check what applies to your profession.
• Submitting a self-study to start the process. CAAHEP's data show "the process takes 12-24 months to complete, once a program has submitted a self-study to initiate the process," with "no guarantee of a timeline, and no guarantee that the accreditation will ultimately be awarded" (CAAHEP, Program Director FAQs).
• Continuing review. "CAAHEP accreditation does not expire," but "programs are required to undergo a comprehensive evaluation, including a site visit, at least every ten years" (CAAHEP, Program Director FAQs).
• A revised standards document. "The CAAHEP Board of Directors is responsible for the final approval of accreditation Standards, which are reviewed at least every ten years" (CAAHEP, Standards and Guidelines).

How IHS helps

Each profession is a separate standards set and a separate scope. For each one, IHS works with your program team through these steps:

1. A gap assessment against that profession's CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines, using questionnaires on clinical rotations, preceptors and student assessment.
2. Document and evidence mapping: a standards-to-evidence index that ties each standard to the record that shows the program meets it.
3. Drafting for your program director and faculty to review and approve: clinical rotation agreements, preceptor qualification records, student assessment forms, program policies and the self-study workplan.
4. A mock review before your program submits, and drafted responses to findings for your program to submit.
5. Readiness support while your team completes the CoA's self-study template and prepares for the site visit.

What you supply: the profession's current standards, the curriculum, preceptor and clinical site data, outcome data, and a qualified program director.

The limit: clinical supervision, curriculum and the validity of student assessment are faculty work. IHS builds the records around them; it does not write the clinical content.

IHS drafts; your program submits the self-study and the Request for Accreditation Services (RAS) form.

What to have ready

This is the list we would ask for first. Each item ties to CAAHEP's published text or your profession's standards.

• The current Standards and Guidelines for your profession, at the version shown in the table above (CAAHEP, Standards and Guidelines).
• Records showing your sponsor fits one of the sponsor categories in the standards, such as institutional accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or healthcare accreditation recognized by HHS (CAAHEP Medical Assisting Standards; confirm in your own profession's standards).
• Documentation of "institutional accreditation and authorization to offer the allied health education program," which CAAHEP verifies through the RAS (CAAHEP, Accreditation Process).
• The CoA's self-study template for your discipline, since "Each CoA develops the self-study document template that must be completed by the program" (CAAHEP, Accreditation Process).
• A plan to submit the RAS form "electronically through the CAAHEP website within 30 days of submission of the self-study report" to the CoA (CAAHEP, Accreditation Process).
• A description of the graduate's role that matches the definition in your profession's standards; for perfusion, for example, "a member of an open-heart, surgical team responsible for the selection, setup, and operation of a mechanical device commonly referred to as the heart-lung machine" (Perfusion Standards).
• A site visit plan that works whether the visit is on-site, virtual or hybrid (CAAHEP, Accreditation Process).
• A timeline that allows 12 to 24 months after self-study submission and lines up with the CAAHEP Board's six meetings a year (CAAHEP, Program Director FAQs; CAAHEP, Accreditation Process).
• A budget for CAAHEP's annual per-program fee and the separate CoA program fee (CAAHEP, Governing Documents & Fees).

If most of this is in place, the introductory call is the place to start.

How it compares

Each route is run by a different body with its own requirements. This page does not recommend one over another.

What it costs

CAAHEP publishes a "Per Program Accreditation Fee Beginning January 1, 2026," invoiced annually in May with an August 1st due date (CAAHEP, Governing Documents & Fees):

CAAHEP also states: "CAAHEP assesses a $150 fee per submitted Request for Accreditation Services (RAS) form due at the time of submission. The RAS verification fee will be assessed starting July 1, 2027." And: "Each of the Committees on Accreditation (CoAs) assesses a separate program fee" (CAAHEP, Governing Documents & Fees). We have not reviewed the CoA-ATE, Anesthesiologist Assistant, AC-PE or ARC/STSA fee pages, so no CoA fee is shown here. Verify current fees with CAAHEP and with your profession's CoA.

IHS scopes each engagement after a free introductory call.

What this is not

• IHS is not an accrediting body and does not grant, influence or predict a CAAHEP or CoA decision.
• IHS does not submit the self-study or RAS form, or correspond with CAAHEP or a CoA on your behalf. IHS drafts; your program submits.
• This page is not legal or clinical education advice. Curriculum, clinical supervision and student assessment belong to your faculty.

Frequently asked questions

How do we start a CAAHEP-accredited surgical technology program at a hospital or community college?

Start with sponsor eligibility: the sponsor text printed in CAAHEP's Medical Assisting Standards (the Surgical Technology Standards were not reviewed for this page) lists post-secondary institutions with institutional accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and hospitals, clinics or medical centers accredited by a healthcare accrediting agency recognized by HHS, among others. Confirm the wording in the Surgical Technology Standards. The program then completes the self-study on its CoA's template against the Surgical Technology Standards, effective 6/15/2023. It submits the RAS form through the CAAHEP website within 30 days of submitting the self-study.

Who accredits surgical technology and surgical assisting programs, and is it the same committee?

CAAHEP accredits both. Both work with the same Committee on Accreditation, the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (ARC/STSA). Each profession still has its own Standards and Guidelines document.

What does accreditation of an anesthesiologist assistant program require?

The program is reviewed against CAAHEP's Anesthesiologist Assistant Standards, last revised in 2016, with the Accreditation Review Committee for the Anesthesiologist Assistant. Those standards define the AA as qualified by academic and clinical education to provide anesthetic care under the direction of a qualified physician anesthesiologist. The program documents how it meets each standard in a self-study on the committee's template.

How long does it take to accredit a new perfusion program?

CAAHEP's FAQ states that its data show the process takes 12 to 24 months once a program has submitted a self-study. CAAHEP adds that there is no guarantee of a timeline and no guarantee that accreditation will be awarded. The CAAHEP Board acts on CoA recommendations at six meetings a year.

CAAHEP vs. ABHES for a surgical technology program: which one?

That choice belongs to your institution. CAAHEP accredits surgical technology programs under its Surgical Technology Standards with ARC/STSA. ABHES states it is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education for the programmatic accreditation of medical assistant, medical laboratory technician and surgical technology programs, among other scope.

How much does accreditation cost for a surgical technology or anesthesia technology program?

CAAHEP's annual per-program fee for 2026 through 2028 is $660 for one program at a location. CAAHEP will charge $150 per RAS form starting July 1, 2027. Each CoA assesses a separate program fee, which this page does not show. Verify current fees with CAAHEP and the CoA.

Can one sponsor run several of these programs under one CAAHEP fee?

No; CAAHEP charges per program, but the rate falls as programs at a location increase. For 2026 through 2028 it is $660 for one program, $550 each for two, $385 each for three, $275 each for four and $220 each for five or more. Each CoA's program fee is separate.

Does CAAHEP accreditation expire?

CAAHEP states that its accreditation does not expire. Programs are required to undergo a comprehensive evaluation, including a site visit, at least every ten years.