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Accreditation 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.

Survey Options

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.

Certification Options

The Joint Commission offers various certifications to help critical access hospitals advance their quality goals in specific areas beyond accreditation.

Rely on Our Experts

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

Ready to Move On?

Review Accreditation & Certification Options

You've examined your accreditation options and considered what best suits your organization's needs.

Next Step

Now that you're familiar with the various aspects of accreditation, you're ready to start your application.