The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) supports Health Center Program grantees in achieving patient-centered medical home recognition. The information below provides a comparison between Accreditation and Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition.
Accreditation
- Ambulatory
- Laboratory
- Behavioral Health
- Patient-Centered Medical Home
Accreditation support includes both accreditation surveys and the patient-centered medical home option through contracts with the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and The Joint Commission.
For a comparison of the ambulatory care accreditation services of AAAHC and The Joint Commission, visit Selecting an Accreditation and/or PCMH Recognition Organization.
Recognition
Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition support includes surveys through a contract with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
Comparison Chart
Section 1.0 - Survey Services
| Section | Activity | Accreditation: AAAHC and The Joint Commission | Recognition: NCQA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Initial and re-survey | YES | YES |
| 1.2 | Ambulatory care, laboratory, and behavioral health survey services | YES | NO. However, all these services must be coordinated by the medical home. |
Section 2.0 - Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition
| Section | Activity | Accreditation: AAAHC and The Joint Commission | Recognition: NCQA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Certification/Recognition | AAAHC: Accredited Joint Commission: Certification | Recognized |
| 2.2 | Scope | Entire organization | Individual practice site(s); mobile, dental, and OB/Gyn sites are not included. |
| 2.3 | On-site survey process to evaluate compliance with standards | YES | NO. Survey conducted through on-line review of documentation and policy. |
| 2.4 | 3-year cycle accreditation or recognition cycle | YES | NO. Annual review |
| 2.5 | Eligibility | Health Center Program grantee | Health Center Program grantee |
Section 3.0 - Patient-Centered Medical Home Standards
| Section | Activity | Accreditation: AAAHC and The Joint Commission | Recognition: NCQA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Standards Handbook and/or Manual | YES | YES |
| 3.2 | Certification/Recognition | Ambulatory accreditation plus patient medical/ health home standards AAAHC: Patient-Centered Medical Home Standards Joint Commission: Primary Care Medical Home Standards | Patient-Centered Medical Home Standards |
| 3.3 | Stand-alone patient- centered medical home certification/recognition | NO. However, the medical home survey standards can be included in or added to the ambulatory accreditation survey at no additional cost. | YES |
Section 4.0 - Accreditation and Medical Home Resources
| Section | Activity | Accreditation: AAAHC and The Joint Commission | Recognition: NCQA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | Publications | YES | YES |
| 4.2 | Professional assistance with interpretation of standards | YES | YES |
| 4.3 | Readiness packets | YES | YES |
| 4.4 | Dedicated website for health centers | YES | YES |
Section 5.0 - Reports and Accreditation and Recognition Decisions
| Section | Activity | Accreditation: AAAHC and The Joint Commission | Recognition: NCQA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.1 | Notification of decision within 30 business days | YES | YES |
| 5.2 | Final survey report within 30 days after the final decision |
AAAHC: Yes |
YES |
| 5.3 | Plan of correction | YES | YES |
| 5.4 | Appeal of a negative accreditation/recognition | YES | YES |
Section 6.0 - On-going Education, Training and Technical Assistance
| Section | Activity | Accreditation: AAAHC and The Joint Commission | Recognition: NCQA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | Mock survey or pre- survey | YES | YES |
| 6.2 | Webinars, teleconferences, conference calls, and audio conferences |
YES |
YES |
| 6.3 | Continuing Education Units (CEUs) | AAAHC: NO Joint Commission: YES |
YES |
| 6.4 | Technical assistance on- site | YES | NO. Assistance provided virtually |
| 6.5 | Technical assistance phone calls | YES | YES |
Accreditation & PCMH Contacts
Please submit your Accreditation and/or Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) request to the APCMH team. To make sure you receive our reply email, add "BPHCAnswers@hrsa.gov" to your address book.
Accreditation Association of Ambulatory Health Care
Email: HRSA@aaahc.org
The Joint Commission
TJC HRSA Accreditation and Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition Initiative
Email: hrsaaccreditation@jointcommission.org | Phone: 630-792-5900
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
Contact the NCQA | Phone: 888-275-7585