Process Overview

What is health services accreditation?
Accreditation by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care is a process of external peer review in which NCCHC, a private, nongovernmental association, grants public recognition to detention and correctional institutions that meet nationally established and accepted standards for the provision of health services.

The accreditation program renders a professional judgment on the quality of health services provided in detention and correctional settings, and assists correctional facilities in their continued improvement. Accreditation is based on the NCCHC Standards for Health Services. Separate standards have been developed for health care delivery in jails, prisons, and juvenile detention and confinement facilities.

Since 1983, the NCCHC accreditation standards have been widely accepted by the health, legal and corrections professions. (Among the organizations represented on NCCHC's board of directors are the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Public Health Association, the National District Attorneys Association and the American Nurses Association.) Areas covered under these standards are:

• Facility governance and administration
• Managing a safe and healthy environment
• Personnel and training
• Health care services support
• Inmate care and treatment
• Health promotion and disease prevention
• Special inmate needs and services
• Health records
• Medical legal issues

What are the benefits of accreditation?
NCCHC accreditation confers many benefits. It promotes and documents an efficient and well-managed health care delivery system. It adds to the prestige of the facility, increases staff morale, aids recruiting efforts, helps to obtain community support and provides additional justification for budgetary requests. Accreditation also can help protect a facility’s assets by minimizing the occurrence of adverse events. In many instances, accreditation can help reduce liability premiums and protect facilities from lawsuits related to health care.

Accreditation benefits the health of the public, staff and inmates by assuring that those incarcerated and released receive adequate and appropriate health care according to nationally accepted standards.

What is the accreditation process?
The first step is to obtain a copy of the NCCHC Standards for Health Services that pertain to your correctional setting and review your facility's compliance with them. Next, you'll request an application for accreditation from NCCHC. Upon submission of the application. you will be asked to complete a self-survey questionnaire (SSQ). Information provided on the SSQ is reviewed by NCCHC staff and is used to help the facility prepare for the on-site survey. NCCHC staff are always available to assist you in the preparation. 

The site survey, which is scheduled only when you feel you are ready, is conducted by health professionals experienced in correctional health care. The survey includes a review of medical documents and policies and procedures; interviews with health staff, correctional officers and inmates or detainees; a tour of the facility; and an exit conference to discuss preliminary findings. The survey is designed to be educational for you and your staff, and we will work with you to help you achieve compliance with the standards. 

The duration of the survey depends on the size of the facility and special medical considerations. The average survey lasts two to three days. Afterwards, the survey team submits a report to NCCHC’s accreditation committee, which meets three time a year. Without knowing the facility's identity, the committee will evaluate its compliance with its standards and make an accreditation decision. You'll receive a comprehensive written report that includes recommendations to assist your continuing compliance with the standards. Once accredited, each year you'll submit a written report (Annual Maintenance Report) with updates on relevant information. Additional on-site visits will occur about every three years.

Does NCCHC accredit small facilities as well as large?
Out of the nearly 500 correctional facilities accredited by NCCHC, the smallest has an average daily population of 25 and the largest has over 9,000.

What is the cost?
The cost of accreditation is based on the facility type (e.g. jail, prison, juvenile), its average daily population, whether it has satellite operations, what special medical services it provides and other factors. With this information in hand, National Commission staff can provide you with an estimate of accreditation fees for your particular facility. After the first year's initial fee, there is a subsequent annual fee of about half as much, depending on the above variables.
Download the application here.

Need more information? Contact...
Accreditation Department
National Commission on Correctional Health Care
1145 W. Diversey Pkwy.
Chicago, IL 60614
Phone (773) 880-1460
Fax (773) 880-2424
E-mail accreditation@ncchc.org

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