What is Healthcare Accreditation?

It is public recognition of the achievement of accreditation standards by a healthcare organization, demonstrated through an independent external peer assessment of that organization's level of performance in relation to the standards. Hospital accreditation is one of the component in the maintenance of patient safety. In totality, accreditation is about standard-setting, analysis, counselling and self-improvement dimensions to the process in addition to standard setting.

Quality assurance and medical ethics, reduction of medical error and evidence-based medicine play a key role of the accreditation process. These systems defined, implemented, owned by the staff and finally provide objective evidence of compliance. Different types of hospital accreditation available in India is given below;
1. National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) - it is a constituent board of Quality Council of India (QCI), set up to establish and operate accreditation programme for healthcare organizations.
2. National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) - It is a Constituent Board of Quality Council of India, established with the objective of providing Government, Industry Associations and Industry in general with a scheme of Conformity Assessment Body's accreditation which involves third-party assessment of the technical competence of testing including medical and calibration laboratories, proficiency testing providers and reference material producers.
3. Joint Commission International Accreditation (JCI) - JCI works to improve patient safety and quality of health care in the international community by offering education, publications, advisory services, and international accreditation and certification.
4. The Hospitals accredited by National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Health Care providers (NABH) or its equivalents such as Joint Commission International (JCI), ACHS (Australia) or by any other accreditation body approved by International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) shall be considered as accredited equivalent to NABH

NABH is mandatory for ECHS empanelment- Ex Service Men Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) in order to ensure quality Healthcare services to all its beneficiaries has gone into MoU with Quality Council of India (QCI) for assessment of Hospitals on behalf of ECHS for empanelment. ECHS aspires to provide to all its beneficiary's high quality medical care services and hence has prescribed the super speciality hospital empanelled under ECHS would have to obtain NABH Accreditation within 18 months. And for other General Purpose Hospitals, Specialty Eye Centres, Dental Clinics, Physiotherapy Centres, Rehabilitative Centres, Diagnostic Centres and Hospices NABH assessors would assess the hospitals/centre on behalf of ECHS. NABH will send their recommendation to ECHS for empanelment of such centres/hospitals.
ECHS will select the Multi-Specialty (General Purpose Hospital), Super Specialty Hospitals, Dental Care Centres, Super Specialty Eye Care Hospitals and Diagnostic Centres which need to be assessed as per requirements specified in the application format for continuous empanelment under ECHS.
QCI based on the application format specified for empanelment under ECHS, shall evaluate the applicant Hospital/Centre.

Based on the assessment, QCI submits its recommendations to the ECHS and will also display on their website. The recommendations pertaining to all applicant Hospitals and Diagnostic Centres are shortlisted for empanelment with ECHS. Information pertaining to centres which are not recommended would also be conveyed to the concerned centre accordingly with an intimation to apply afresh, if so desired.

NABH is mandatory for CGHS empanelment- Under the CGHS Empanelment Scheme 2017 the hospitals, exclusive Eye hospitals / Centres, exclusive Dental Clinics, Cancer Hospitals/units, diagnostic laboratories and imaging centres accredited by National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Health Care providers (NABH)* / National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) shall be considered for empanelment under CGHS.

Non-Accredited HCOs can also apply. As per CGHS Order dated 17 Feb 2015, Non NABH/ Non NABL Health Care Organizations (HCOs) provisionally empanelled under CGHS shall be inspected by QCI for compliance with the eligibility criteria and other conditions specified in the e-tender document 2014 and in MOA signed with CGHS failing which their empanelment will be removed and 50% of Performance Bank Guarantees forfeited.

If a hospital doesn't have NABL / NABH and wish to apply for CGHS / ECHS empanelment, we can help them to get QCI done.
CGHS RATES
All the eligible Hospitals, exclusive eye hospitals / centres, exclusive dental clinics, cancer hospitals/units and diagnostic centres shall agree for CGHS notified rates applicable for semi-private ward. The rates for NABH/NABL accredited HCOs shall be 15% more than the rates for non-accredited HCOs .For cancer surgery Tata Memorial rates as decided by CGHS would apply.