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Pharmacies and Home Care Accreditation

Accreditation for pharmacies resides under the Home Care Accreditation Program which serves both home and community-based service providers, like pharmacies. Through this program, you’ll access the resources and tools for accreditation, while the standards and survey experience will be customized to the pharmaceutical services you provide. Learn more about the accreditation process such as eligibility, accreditation options, process and resources. Then, assess your organization’s readiness to apply by reviewing our performance standards.

Pharmacies We Serve

The Joint Commission serves the full spectrum of pharmacy services including: Infusion, Specialty, Compounding, Mail Order, Long-term Care, Ambulatory Infusion Center, Radiopharmaceutical and Clinical Consultant Services.

Standards for Pharmacies

Developed in partnership with pharmacy industry experts, we provide relevant performance guidelines to drive sustainable improvements in patient safety, quality and operational reliability. Our standards comply with USP 795 and 797 guidelines and address key focus areas in the industry such as medication reconciliation, patient and drug interaction and timeliness of therapy delivery. Standards are appropriately applied based on your specific services.

Experts in the Field

The Joint Commission employs experts in the industry. Joint Commission pharmacy surveyors have a Doctor of Pharmacy or equivalent with a minimum of 5 years of pharmacy practice experience, a minimum of 2 years of accreditation experience, and leadership/senior management experience. Joint Commission pharmacy surveyors have an average tenure of 12 years at The Joint Commission and have objectively evaluated hundreds of pharmacies across the country.

Recognition in the Industry

Joint Commission accreditation is increasingly being used by states, insurers and other programs as a condition of network participation and or licensure eligibility. Currently, The Joint Commission’s accreditation for specialty pharmacies is recognized by two of the largest pharmacy benefit management companies in the country and by the Michigan Board of Pharmacy for the licensure of compounding pharmacies in the state.

We are Here to Support You Every Step of the Way

Accreditation and certification are important accomplishments to achieve and we are here to help your organization throughout the entire process. Whether you’re new to the Joint Commission and just starting on your journey, or you are looking for guidance after your survey or review, you’ll have plenty of ongoing support.

If you’re pursuing accreditation for the first time, a member of our Business Development team will help you determine if your organization is eligible, explain the process, provide you with access to the accreditation standards and inform you about other helpful resources available to you. Once your application and deposit* has been submitted, an Account Executive will then become your primary, ongoing “go to” person to help you through the process before, during and after the survey.


*Some exceptions exist for currently accredited organizations pursuing select certifications.