HRSA Accreditation and Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition Initiative

The HRSA Accreditation and Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition Initiative supports health centers in obtaining Primary/Ambulatory health care accreditation and/or Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition.

Ambulatory health care accreditation and PCMH recognition improve health outcomes and lower costs for people and health centers.

Ambulatory health care accreditation:

• Assesses health center quality and patient safety
• Evaluates health centers against standards of quality improvement, quality assurance, risk management, and performance improvement

PCMH recognition:

• Assesses a health center’s approach to patient-centered care
• Evaluates health centers against national standards for primary care that emphasize care coordination and on-going quality improvement.

We contract with three organizations to assist health centers gain and retain accreditation and/or recognition. These organizations provide technical assistance and training as part of the accreditation and recognition. The table below identifies which contractors provide our supported accreditation and recognition.

We support certain fees for participating health centers. The fees covered may be associated with initial accreditation and re-accreditation for ambulatory health care accreditation and PCMH recognition, initial, renewal, and add-on surveys.

We strongly encourage currently recognized and/or accredited health centers to submit their Notice of Intent (NOI) three to six months prior to their expiration date when applying for support through this initiative.

How to apply

The flow chart provides a step-by-step explanation of how to apply for accreditation and recognition assistance through us.

Accreditation and recognition NOI process flow chart

1. Decision to initiate/renew PCMH Recognition and/or Accreditation
2. Log in to the HRSA Electronic Handbooks (EHBs)
3. Select Grant Folder and Appropriate Grant (H80)
4. Select HRSA Accreditation/PCMH Initiative
5. Select create a new Notice of Intent (NOI)
6. Select Accreditation and/or Recognition organization
7. Grant information already filled in
8. Fill out other details and select sites to be included
9. Submit NOI and click confirm button on next page
10. Success message is displayed
11. Check on review status
12. If NOI is approved, the organization will contact the health center for next steps

Find additional information on specific steps in the process:

• Select an Accreditation/PCMH Recognition Organization
• Submit Notice of Intent (NOI)
• Prepare for a Survey
• Change Accreditation/Recognition Organizations

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