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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mary Velan
L.C. Williams & Associates
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AAAHC Elects 2017 Board Officers
New board leadership offers years of experience, insight to strengthen association mission
(Skokie, Ill.) April 24, 2017 – AAAHC, the leader in ambulatory health care accreditation, has
announced newly elected 2017-2018 board officers. The new officers bring extensive
experience and expertise in patient-centric ambulatory care to their leadership roles.
Elected Board Chair, Kenneth M. Sadler, DDS, MPA, MAGD, FACD, FICD, FADI is the
president of Kenneth M. Sadler, DDS and Associates, PA, dba Winston-Salem Dental Care, a
leading dental practice located in Winston-Salem, N.C. Dr. Sadler previously served as vice
chair of the AAAHC board and is an active surveyor for AAAHC.
Dr. Sadler is the immediate past president of the American Academy of Dental Group Practice
and a past president and current member of the North Carolina State Board of Dental
Examiners. He recently completed a six-year term on the MetLife national Dental Advisory
Committee. Dr. Sadler retired from the U.S. Army Reserves with the rank of Colonel in 2003,
with his last duty assignment as the Pacific Regional Dental Commander (IMA).
“The AAAHC approach is centered on creating collaborative partnerships with organizations and
using accreditation as a tool for ongoing quality improvement and innovation,” said Dr. Sadler. “I
look forward to continuing to serve AAAHC and its accredited organizations to improve patient
safety and quality of care in ambulatory health care settings through accreditation.”
Elected to serve as vice chair of the board of directors, Arnaldo Valedon, MD, is a boardcertified anesthesiologist and managing partner and executive director, ambulatory surgery
division, First Colonies Anesthesia Associates, LLC, in Rockville, Md. He most recently served
as treasurer of the AAAHC board and is also a board member of Acreditas Global, the
international accreditation body of AAAHC.
Dr. Valedon has held leadership positions in several professional associations including the
Ambulatory Surgery Center Association, the Society of Ambulatory Anesthesia, the American
Society of Anesthesiologists and the International Association for Ambulatory Surgery.
Outgoing board secretary and newly-elected treasurer Ira Cheifetz, DMD, is a retired diplomat of
the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and a past president of the American
Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), having served in all its officer
positions as a board member over eight years, and on various AAOMS committees over a 20year period.
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Retired from active private practice of 35 years, Dr. Cheifetz is a past chief of the oral and
maxillofacial surgery division at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton in New
Jersey, holding that position for over 12 years. He is currently on the board of the Oral and
Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation where he has as served as treasurer and a member of
the executive committee. Dr. Cheifetz has been a surveyor for AAAHC since 2012.
Joining as secretary, Timothy Peterson, MD, has been the chief medical officer at Evercare
Select (now UHCCP), a program contractor with the State of Arizona AHCCCS System in
Phoenix. The program provides medical care, social services, housing, pharmacy and Medicare
wrap-around services for the elderly and physically disabled population. He has been board
certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.
Dr. Peterson was the president of the Frederic Clinic in Wisconsin for 10 years before serving in
various roles, including president and CEO of the Thomas-Davis Medical Centers in Tucson for
another 10 years. Dr. Peterson also served as the medical director for Pima Health System and
was vice president of medical affairs for Bridgeway Health Solutions. Dr. Peterson has been a
AAAHC surveyor since 1995 and holds faculty privileges for training new surveyors. He
previously served as Secretary of the AAAHC Board for one year.
For more information on AAAHC or accreditation options, visit www.AAAHC.org.
About AAAHC
AAAHC (Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care), founded in 1979, is the leader
in ambulatory health care accreditation with more than 6,000 organizations accredited. We
accredit a wide range of outpatient settings including ambulatory surgery centers, office-based
surgery facilities, endoscopy centers, student health centers, medical and dental group
practices, community health centers, employer-based health clinics, retail clinics, and Indian
health centers, among others.
AAAHC advocates for the provision of high quality health care through the development and
adoption of nationally-recognized Standards. We provide a valuable survey experience founded
on a collaborative, consultative, educational approach to peer-based, on-site review. The
AAAHC Certificate of Accreditation demonstrates an organization’s commitment to provide safe,
high quality services to its patients. It is recognized by third party payers, medical professional
associations, liability insurance companies, state and federal agencies, and the public. For more
information, visit www.aaahc.org.
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