HRSA Accreditation and Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition Initiative

The HRSA Accreditation and Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition Initiative supports health centers in obtaining Ambulatory health care accreditation and/or Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition. PCMH recognition has become a standard of care for HRSA funded health centers. Ambulatory health care accreditation and PCMH recognition increase health outcomes, improve health equity, and lower costs for patients 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.

HRSA contracts 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 HRSA supported accreditation and recognition.

Organization	PCMH Recognition	Ambulatory Health Care Accreditation
The National Committee for Quality Assurance	Yes	No
The Joint Commission	Yes	Yes
The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care	Yes	Yes

HRSA supports 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. When applying for the HRSA Accreditation and Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition Initiative, health centers who are currently recognized and/or accredited are strongly encouraged to submit their Notice of Intent (NOI) 3 to 6 months prior to their expiration date.

How to Apply

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

Accreditation and Recognition NOI Process Flow Chart

Decision to initiate/renew PCMH Recognition and/or Accreditation
Log in to the Electronic Handbook (EHB)
Select Grant Folder and Appropriate Grant (H80)
Select HRSA Accreditation/PCMH Initiative
Click on create a new Notice of Intent (NOI)
Select Accreditation and/or Recognition organization
Grant information already filled in
Fill out other details and select sites to be included
Submit NOI and click confirm button on next page
Success message is displayed
Check on review status
If NOI is approved, the organization will contact the health center for next steps

The links below provide additional information on specific steps in the process.

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
Email: NCQA Government Recognition Initiative Program | Phone: 888-275-7585