Yesterday I had two interesting calls yesterday with potential clients. Both were required to be accredited but had some latitude about the specific accreditation body. They had a number of questions about which accreditation body that should chose. Below I have outlined a number of questions that an organization should think about when picking an accreditation agency.
The following areas are important to consider during an organization’s due diligence:
- Has the accreditation organization established an excellent reputation in the industry?
- Is the accreditation organization recommended by several respected professionals?
- Has the accreditation entity established a reasonable and competitive cost structure?
- Does the accreditation entity’s staff exude professionalism in every possible venue?
- Is the accreditation organization known for treating potentially accredited healthcare organization’s staff with respect
- Does the staff at the accreditation entity go the extra mile in collaborating with healthcare staff to interpret standards?
- Is there a formal, user friendly process for obtaining information related to interpretation of standards?
- Remember to review the standards to see if they are relevant to your organization, to ensure that no other accreditation entity provides a better match, and that the applicable standards are not prohibitive for your organization
Posted by Mark Rosenberg 
