Receiving Accreditation

What Does Accreditation Involve Exactly? 

Although different accrediting bodies have slightly different standards, most organizations require that medical tourism facilities possess:

• Skilled medical practitioners who have completed the appropriate training and passed any qualifying exams. 
• Sufficient facilities, resources, and equipment to handle inpatient and outpatient care.  A centrally located hospital that claims to serve the city, for example, would have to provide ambulatory care and EMT services.
• Coordination capabilities with insurance providers, pharmaceutical agencies, and government organizations.
• Sufficient insurance and liability protection.
• Acceptable doctor to patient and nurse to patient ratios.
• Diverse medical staff who can treat patients regardless of sex, color, culture, or religion.

To develop a clearer picture of what a medical tourism facility must go through in order to become accredited, you would need to visit the Web site of whatever organization approved the facility, since the requirements are too lengthy and numerous for inclusion here.  A quick perusal of JCAHO's accrediting requirements should give you a general idea of how difficult it is for a medical tourism facility to receive a stamp of approval.   

You'll need to contact each accrediting agency individually to see what it requires of its partner facilities. To see a directory of accrediting bodies, click here.