CBAHI's ambulatory care standards are the National Standards for Ambulatory Care Centers, First Edition 2019, which Saudi Arabia's national accreditation body uses to survey polyclinics, medical complexes and day procedure centres. CBAHI's standards page still listed that edition in April 2025, and its status list of May 2025 covered 431 ambulatory centres surveyed since 2021.
This guide is for medical directors, centre managers and the quality coordinators who prepare an outpatient centre for its CBAHI survey.
Which edition of the CBAHI ambulatory care standards applies?
The current manual is the first edition, issued in 2019. CBAHI's standards download page named it "CBAHI National Standards for Ambulatory Care Centers (First Edition 2019)" in an archived copy from December 2020 and again in one from April 2025. No later edition appears on any CBAHI page we could read.
Some sources, including an earlier version of this guide, describe a "2020 edition" with a fixed count of chapters and standards. We found no CBAHI source for either, so treat those figures with care. The edition name on CBAHI's own page is the one to use in your gap analysis.
The Arabic version of CBAHI's site uses a different label. Its national standards page, updated in September 2025, lists the programme among current standards as the national standards for outpatient medical centres and complexes. We could not reach cbahi.gov.sa to confirm the position after that, so ask CBAHI which edition your survey will use.
Which centres fall under the ambulatory care programme?
Outpatient facilities that do not admit patients overnight. CBAHI's accreditation policies page, archived in September 2025, describes an outpatient medical centres section. It covers medical complexes and centres that give specialised outpatient care, and it names dental centres as an example.
The status list shows the range in practice. It includes general polyclinics, day surgery centres, eye centres, cosmetic and dermatology clinics, and combined dental and dermatology centres. Most are private, and a few government clinics appear, such as military and university clinics.
Standalone dental centres also have their own programme and manual. Our guide to the CBAHI dental centre standards covers that route. If your complex offers dentistry alongside other specialties, confirm with CBAHI which manual applies before you plan your documents.
Is CBAHI accreditation mandatory for ambulatory care centres?
Yes, in principle. CBAHI's overview page (archived June 2025) says a late-2013 Cabinet decree mandated CBAHI accreditation for all public and private healthcare facilities. The same page says the Ministry of Health makes CBAHI accreditation a prerequisite for renewing a facility's licence.
The two roles are separate. The Ministry of Health licenses a centre to operate. CBAHI surveys it against the national standards and grants or refuses accreditation. Your accreditation status then feeds into the licence renewal.
Where can you get the CBAHI ambulatory care standards PDF?
From CBAHI, and it is not free. The April 2025 copy of the download page priced one copy of a national standard at SAR 375 (US$100). The buyer pays by bank transfer to CBAHI, uploads the receipt and registers on the same page.
CBAHI's terms forbid reproducing the standards without its written permission. Copies passed around online may be old drafts or incomplete. Buy the manual from CBAHI and keep it as a controlled document, so every department works from the same text.
AGS does not sell or supply the standards. A documentation kit sits alongside the manual and does not replace it.
What do CBAHI's ambulatory survey results show?
CBAHI's ambulatory care centres accreditation status list, dated 1 May 2025, covers survey visits from August 2021 to April 2025. It lists 431 centres across 12 regions. Of those, 357 were accredited and 74 were unaccredited, most of them recorded as a denial.
That is roughly one centre in six refused. Accreditation periods on the list run for three years in most cases, for example December 2022 to December 2025. Two entries are already marked as expired, so renewal planning matters as much as the first survey.
The list also states that conditional accreditation does not mean a centre is accredited. The centre must first submit a corrective action plan for its areas of non-compliance. Centres not on the list are described as scheduled for survey.
Which records should an ambulatory care centre have ready?
Ambulatory care carries real procedural risk without the back-up of a hospital ward. Patients arrive, are treated and leave on the same day, so assessment, monitoring and discharge happen fast. The table sets out the records we would expect a surveyor to ask about. It is AGS's practical interpretation, not CBAHI's wording, so check each row against your copy of the manual.
| Area | What to have ready |
|---|---|
| Day procedures | Pre-procedure assessment, signed consent, a completed procedure safety checklist and recovery and discharge records for each case |
| Patient identification | Evidence that two identifiers are used before procedures, tests and medication, with audit results |
| Medication | Storage and fridge temperature checks, emergency drug checks and medication error reports |
| Infection control | Hand hygiene audits, instrument reprocessing records and surveillance results |
| Laboratory and imaging | Quality control results, radiation licences for each unit and equipment maintenance logs |
| Dermatology and aesthetics | Device training and competency records, treatment protocols and consent for each procedure type |
| Staff | Licences, credentialing and privileging files for every practitioner, including part-time and visiting staff |
| Quality and safety | Incident reports, internal audit results, complaints and the actions taken on each |
Surveyors usually test whether daily practice matches the written procedure. A sedation policy carries little weight if the recovery records have gaps. Audit a full month of your own records before the visit and close each gap with a dated corrective action. The CBAHI National Hospital Standards guide explains CBAHI's Essential Safety Requirements, which CBAHI publishes for hospitals.
How AGS can help
The CBAHI Ambulatory Care Centres (QMS) kit contains 38 documents: 37 editable Microsoft Word files and a plain-text system index. It includes a quality manual, a scheme and master document list, and 15 procedures, among them day procedure unit, dermatology and aesthetics, dental, laboratory and radiology services. There are 10 forms, 6 checklists including procedure safety and a CBAHI self-assessment, a record register and retention schedule, 2 guidance documents and a training plan.
Frequently asked questions
How long does CBAHI ambulatory accreditation last?
Usually three years, going by CBAHI's status list of May 2025. Most accredited centres on that list have an end date three years after their accreditation date.
Can a centre be accredited with open findings?
Not fully. CBAHI states that conditional accreditation is not accreditation. The centre must first submit a corrective action plan for the non-compliant areas.
Are government outpatient clinics surveyed too?
Yes. The May 2025 list includes government clinics such as military, border guard and university medical clinics, alongside private complexes.
Does buying documentation mean the centre will be accredited?
No. Documents are a starting point. Accreditation depends on how the system is implemented and on CBAHI's survey findings.
AGS provides independent documentation toolkits. This guide and the referenced kit are prepared to support CBAHI requirements. They are not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions, and they do not guarantee any survey or accreditation outcome.
Reviewed October 2026. Facts checked against the sources current at publication.
