NABH Accreditation is carried out by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers in India. NABH Accreditation is for Indian hospitals, wellness centers, health care centers and other medical facilities.

The Organization

The National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers is part of the Quality Council of India. The Quality Council of India is part of the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry. NABH was set up in 2006 to manage and control an accreditation program for Indian health care facilities.

NABH is supported by stakeholders in industry, commerce and government but it operates independently and with full autonomy.

NABH’s Credentials

The NABH Accreditation standards have been accredited by the International Society for Quality in Health Care (lSQua). The standards of accreditation are similar in quality to the JCI standards and other international accreditation programs such as the National Committee for Quality Assurance in the United States, HAS: Haute Autorite de Sante, the Japan Council for Quality in Health Care and the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards. NABH is a board member of the Asian Society for Quality in Healthcare (ASQua) and an institutional member of International Spa Association (ISPA).

NABH Standards

The NABH Accreditation process encompasses 100 standards. The standards are split between patient care-centered standards and organizational standards.

Patient care standards include:

• Access, Assessment and Continuity of Care
• Hospital Infection Control
• Care of Patient
• Patient Rights and Education
• Management of Medication

Organizational standards include:

• Continuous Quality Improvement
• Information Management System
• Human Resource Management
• Responsibility of Management
• Facility Management and Safety

The NABH Accreditation standards include some 500-plus measurable objectives. In order to achieve accreditation, the hospital or health care organization needs to operate a process-driven approach when dealing with all kinds of hospital tasks from admission to pre-surgery, post-surgery and discharge. The NABH Accreditation is aimed at the successful streamlining of the hospital’s operations.

Accreditation Process

The health care organization submits its application and the fee for the accreditation process, along with self assessment documents and a signed copy of the terms and conditions.

A pre-assessment by NABH surveyors takes place within three months of the initial submission. The health care organization then takes corrective measures and arranges the final assessment. The final assessment takes place within six months of the pre-assessment and three months later NABH gives its final decision on accreditation.

Accreditation Time

The full NABH accreditation process takes between nine months and one year. There should be no more than three months between the submission of the application and the pre-assessment, and no more than six months between the pre-assessment and the final assessment.

Accreditation Cost

The NABH Accreditation fee is decided on an individual basis by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers.

Re-accreditation Process

The health care organization is accredited for a period of three years. NABH carries out a surveillance assessment within 18 months of the initial accreditation. Reaccreditation takes place before the end of the three-year period and the organization should apply for reaccreditation six months before its accreditation expires.