Objective, Third-Party Accreditation from the Organization That "Wrote the Book" on Correctional Health Care
NCCHC accreditation signals a commitment to providing incarcerated individuals with a constitutionally acceptable level of care, based on compliance with NCCHC’s rigorous standards. Accreditations translates into improved health status, fewer grievances and lawsuits, and reduced health risk to the community when incarcerated people are released.
A recent study by Harvard University researchers demonstrates what correctional health care and custody professionals have long known: NCCHC accreditation saves lives, improves outcomes, lowers recidivism, and improves quality of patient care and treatment. Highlights include:
86%
11%
54%
Reduction in Mortality
Improved Quality of Patient Care and Treatment
Lower Recidivism
Source: The Hidden Health Care Crisis Behind Bars: A Randomized Trial to Accredit U.S. Jails, Marcella Alsan and Crystal Yang, NBER Working Paper No. 33357
More Benefits of Facility Accreditation
- Protects the institution by minimizing the occurrence of adverse events, thus avoiding health care-related lawsuits and grievances and often reducing liability premiums
- Promotes and documents an efficient, well-managed system of health care delivery with feedback from knowledgeable correctional health professionals
- Validates with objective criteria the areas in which the health care facility is doing well and areas for improvement
- Educates and trains staff on NCCHC standards, with the benefit of introducing new efficiencies and uniform practices
- Recognizes staff contributions and excellence, improves morale, and aids recruitment and retention
- Helps obtain community support and provides justification for budget requests
What Sets NCCHC Apart
- Survey teams are customized to the facility’s programs (e.g., mental health surveyors for extensive mental health programs, dentist surveyors for facilities with on-site dental care)
- We can survey one facility at a time or the entire system in the span of a week, depending on client needs
- Survey teams have specific expertise in correctional health care and each team includes a physician
- NCCHC accreditation staff and surveyors have worked in corrections – we understand how to implement standards because we’ve used them and can offer pre- and post-survey support
- Plus: free webinars on how to prepare for NCCHC accreditation, and for states that are bringing on numerous facilities, on-site, in-depth standards training
Three Types of NCCHC Accreditation
NCCHC Is Independent
The National Commission on Correctional Health Care has no membership or dues. NCCHC does not require any affiliation to be considered for accreditation, certification, or employment as a consultant or surveyor, or to serve on committees or the Board of Representatives. NCCHC staff and spouses are not allowed to accept gifts or consulting fees from those we accredit or certify. NCCHC is impartial, unbiased, expert, and dedicated only to recognizing and fostering improvements to the field of correctional health care.