What is Hospital Accreditation?

National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) is a constituent board of Quality Council of India (QCI), set-up to establish and operate Hospital Accreditation Program for healthcare organizations. The board is structured to cater to much desired needs of the consumers and to set benchmarks for progress of health industry. The board while being supported by all stakeholders including industry, consumers, government, has fully functional autonomy in its operation. The objective of NABH is enhancing health system & promoting continuous quality improvement and patient safety. It is a body which operates accreditation and allied programs on patient safety and healthcare quality.

NABH Background

NABH is an institutional member of the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQUA). ISQUA is an international body which grants approval to Accreditation Bodies in the area of healthcare as mark of equivalence of accreditation program of member countries.

International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua) has accredited “Standards for Hospitals” developed by National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH, India). The approval of ISQua authenticates that NABH standards are in consonance with the global benchmarks set by ISQua. The hospitals accredited by NABH will have international recognition, this will provide boost to medical tourism.

International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) is an international body which grants approval to Accreditation Bodies in the area of healthcare as mark of equivalence of accreditation program of member countries. So far hospital standards of Australia , Canada , Egypt , Hong Kong , Ireland , Japan , Jordan , Kyrgyz Republic , South Africa , Taiwan , United Kingdom etc. 11 countries were accredited by ISQua. India becomes the 12th country to join in this group.

NABH - Hospital Accreditation

NABH Hospital Accreditation is aimed at establishing common framework for healthcare organizations to demonstrate and practice compliance to patient safety protocols. Although accreditation is voluntary, there is growing trend whereby regulatory/affiliating/paying agencies are using NABH accreditation for empanelment of hospitals.

What Hospital Accreditation Means?

Commitment to create a culture of quality, patient safety, efficiency and accountability towards patient care.
Establishment of protocols and policies as per National/International Standards for patient care, medication management, consent process, patient safety, clinical outcomes, medical records, infection control and staffing.
Patients are treated with respect, dignity and courtesy at all times.
Patients are involved in care planning and decision making.

Patients are treated by qualified and trained staff.
Feedback from patients is sought and complaints (if any) are addressed.
Transparency in billing and availability of tariff list.
Continuous monitoring of its services for improvement.
Commitment to prevent adverse events that may occur.

Hospital Accreditation Requirements

Following are the general and technical NABH accreditation requirements that any organization must follow while implementation of NABH system to achieve best results and quick NABH certification/accreditation.

Access, Assessment and continuity of care (AAC)
Patient Right and Education (PRE)
Care of Patients (COP)
Management of Medication (MOM)
Hospital Infection Control (HIC)

Continuous Quality Improvement(CQI)
Responsibility of Management (ROM)
Facility Management and Safety (FMS)
Human Resource Management (HRM)
Information Management System (IMS)