Ambulatory Health Care Settings: Primary care providers and non-surgical settings such as Medical Group Practices and Community Health Centers

Ambulatory Surgery Centers:  Single or multi-specialty surgical settings with 5 or more practitioners and for surgery centers seeking Medicare status through the "Deemed Status" survey option

Office-Based Surgery Centers:  Single or multi-specialty surgical settings with 4 or fewer practitioners including surgery practices, oral surgery and podiatric surgery

Imaging Centers:  Freestanding Diagnostic Imaging Centers

Sleep Centers:  Freestanding Sleep Centers

Urgent Care Centers:  Freestanding Urgent Care Centers

Bureau of Primary Health Care Centers:  Part of Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)

For organizations involved in providing mental health care, treatment, or services; including mental health centers, addictions treatment services, opioid treatment programs, child welfare services, foster care, eating disorders treatment, and services to people with intellectual/developmental disabilities.

For providers of behavioral health care including Community mental health centers, Addictions treatment and/or services supporting recovery and resilience, Opioid dependency programs, Crisis stabilization, Day programs (intensive outpatient services, day treatment programs, adult day care, partial hospitalization programs), Eating Disorders programs, Family preservation/wraparound services, Forensic programs or services, Foster care, In-home mental health services, Outdoor/wilderness behavioral health programs, Outpatient behavioral health care programs, Residential programs, Group homes, Therapeutic schools, Transitional living/supervised or supportive care services, Vocational rehabilitation, etc.
 

Critical Access Hospitals are hospitals identified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as having met, or eligible to meet, the conditions for becoming a CAH, that is, the hospital:

• Maintains no more than 25 total beds, including both acute care and/or swing beds.
• Keeps patients hospitalized 96 hours or less.
• Has received authorization to become a Critical Access Hospital from the state office of rural health.

• Home Health
• Personal Care (Non-medical) services
• Hospice
• Durable Medical Equipment (includes equipment, orthotics, prosthetics, supplies, respiratory services, complex rehab services)
• Pharmacy (infusion, specialty pharmacy, mail order, long term care)

• General
• Children’s
• Long Term Acute Care (LTACH)
• Oncology
• Psychiatric
• Rehabilitation
• Specialty (Cardiac, Orthopedic, Surgical)

Accreditation is a process in which an entity, separate and distinct from the health care organization, usually non-governmental, assesses the health care organization to determine if it meets a set of standards requirements designed to improve quality of care.  This voluntary process provides a visible commitment by an organization to continually ensure a safe environment for its patients and staff.
 

Laboratories eligible for accreditation include:

• Laboratories in hospitals, clinics, long term care facilities, home care organizations, behavioral health care organizations, ambulatory sites and physician offices
• Reference labs
• Freestanding laboratories, such as assisted reproductive technology labs
• Blood transfusion and donor centers
• Public health laboratories, including Indian Health Service laboratories
• Laboratories in federal facilities, such as the Department of Veteran’s Affairs and the Department of Defense
• Point-of-care test sites which include blood gas labs providing services to patients in emergency rooms, surgical suites, cardiac catheterization labs, and in other patient care areas

Organizations eligible for nursing and rehabilitation care accreditation include those with:

• Beds licensed by the state as nursing home beds, excluding intermediate care facilities specializing in care for individuals with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities.
• Beds designated as long term care beds under a hospital license, excluding beds belonging to a long term acute care hospital and hospital swing beds.
• Beds, units or facilities certified by Medicare or Medicaid as skilled nursing facility beds.
• Beds, units or facilities designated as long term care by a governmental entity, such as the Department of Veterans’ Affairs or a state authority.

Surgical practices must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for accreditation under the office-based surgery standards:

• The organization or practice is composed of four or fewer licensed independent practitioners performing operative or invasive procedures. Multi-site office-based surgery practices are also limited to a combined total of four or fewer LIPs.
• The organization or practice must be physician owned or operated, for example, a professional services corporation, private physician office or small group practice. “Physician” includes dentist or podiatrist.
• Invasive services are provided to patients. (Practices only providing procedures such as excisions of skin lesions, moles, warts and abscess drainage limited to the skin and subcutaneous tissue are typically not surveyed under the OBS standards.)
• Local anesthesia, minimal sedation, moderate sedation or general anesthesia is administered. (Includes laser eye surgery using topical anesthesia.)

Disease-Specific Care Certification is available at two levels, core and advanced. Both are evaluated through the same set of Disease-Specific Care standards. However, the advanced certification programs must meet additional, clinically specific requirements and expectations.

Recognition for programs that treat chronic diseases or conditions. Disease-Specific Care Certification can be adapted to most chronic conditions, including Primary Stroke Centers, orthopedic joint replacement, heart failure, COPD, chronic kidney disease, acute MI, diabetes, ventricular assist device implantation, stroke rehabilitation, cancers, asthma, pneumonia, and others.

Recognition for organizations providing temporary clinical personnel to health care settings

Certification is a process in which an entity, separate and distinct from the health care organization, usually non-governmental, assesses the health care organization to determine if it meets a set of standards requirements designed to improve quality of care.  This voluntary process provides a visible commitment by an organization to continually ensure a safe environment for its patients and staff.

Launched in September 2011, The Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification Program for Palliative Care recognizes hospital inpatient programs that demonstrate exceptional patient and family-centered care and optimize the quality of life for patients (both adult and pediatric) with serious illness. Palliative care addresses a patient’s, physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs and facilitates patient autonomy, access to information and choice.