Final Recommendations for a Voluntary National Accreditation Program for State and Local Health Departments

Abstract

A recently released report of the Exploring Accreditation Project affirmatively answered the questions regarding the desirability and feasibility of establishing a national voluntary public health accreditation program. The report's recommendations were made after 10 months of inquiry from public health experts, elected officials, the general public health workforce, academicians, and other interested parties, more than 650 public health professionals in all. Recommendations regarding how such a program might be implemented insofar as its governance, principles for standards development, financing and incentives, and evaluation were included. The report provides a blueprint for establishing a national voluntary public health accreditation program. This article describes key aspects of the Steering Committee recommendations, with limited linkage to implementation strategies where relevant, in the four areas in which the project was designed. Details are provided in the final reports of the Steering Committee (www.exploringaccreditation.org) and in other articles in this issue.

Aligning Public Health Financing With Essential Public Health Service Functions and National Public Health Performance Standards

“…17 Just such a voluntary national program is well underway in its development, and at this time a national organization has been created to house it. 18,19 Strong elements of accountability and performance improvement undergird the basic premises for moving forward with accreditation. In addition, despite the obvious distinctions in governance and some functions of health departments, the notion that health departments should share fundamental purposes is likewise deeply embedded in the principles of accreditation.…”

Public Health Laboratory Systems: At the Crossroads

“…These initiatives are the Laboratory System Improvement Program (L-SIP) 17 and the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). 18 PHAB has just recently initiated its process of accrediting state and local health departments that meet the required standards of performance. PHAB follows a broad approach that spans 12 domains, each of which covers specific standards.…”

Public Health Systems and Services Research: Building the Evidence Base to Improve Public Health Practice

“…While a few states in the US had already established state-level accreditation of local health departments, the creation of the Exploring Accreditation Task force in 2004 to examine feasibility of a national public health accreditation effort has resulted in the advent of voluntary accredit ation of state, local, territorial and tribal health departments through a non-profit, non-govern mental entity, the Public Health Accreditation Board. 45 Public Health Accreditation Board accreditation is keyed to quality improve ment in the provision of public health services. Public Health Accreditation Board accreditation will also necessitate the development of a greater evidence base surrounding administrative practices to support the effectiveness and guide the revision and development of accreditation standards and measures.…”