Critical Access Hospital Accreditation and Certification Options

The Joint Commission has accredited hospitals for more than 60 years. In 2001, we introduced our program to accredit critical access hospitals. In 2002, we obtained deemed status recognition for our critical access hospital accreditation program from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), allowing us to conduct both conversion (the initial survey to become a critical access hospital) and recertification surveys.

Early Survey Option
The Early Survey Option is reserved for organizations that do not actively care for patients yet, but must provide evidence to payers or regulators of their intent to obtain full accreditation.

Tailored Survey Option
For organizations seeking accreditation across multiple disciplines (i.e., ambulatory care, behavioral health and home care), The Joint Commission offers a tailored survey option to help coordinate and streamline the application and survey process.

If you’re not sure which option best suits your needs, or you’d like help getting started, our team of experts can help.