National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Organizations (NABH) has refurbished Entry-Level Certification Process to make it digital, simpler, faster and user-friendly. The revised process is driven through a new portal called HOPE – Healthcare Organizations’ Platform for Entry- Level-Certification. The focus is to promote quality at emerging stages by enrolling a wide range of hospitals across the country including Healthcare Organizations (HCOs) and Small Healthcare Organizations (SHCOs). The aim is to create a momentum for HCOs and SHCOs that want to avail benefits associated with Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and Ayushman Bharat by getting themselves NABH certified along with the primary aim of creating a quality healthcare ecosystem in India.
HOPE also enables the HCO/SHCOs to comply with quality protocols, improve patient safety and the overall healthcare facility of the organization. It is an online platform for smooth and secure registration. It provides a self-explanatory questionnaire to be filled. A mobile application has also been developed for uploading geotagged and timestamped evidences required for compliance to the standards. It has also changed the assessment process which is now carried out on a technology- based application where the data is captured and validated on a real-time basis.
To ensure an active participation of HCO/SHCOs in the HOPE process, various activities have been initiated:
- Nationwide awareness workshops to sensitize the hospitals on the entire process of assessment
- Call centre support to hospitals through an active helpline for resolving issues while filling the application form
- Platform to connect hospitals with certified consultants for assistance in the certification process following a cost-effective manner
- Knowledge bank providing a comprehensive guidebook, presentation etc. with detailed information of the step-by-step certification procedure
- Created a larger and stronger network of qualified assessors
In order to support maximum HCO/SHCOs in the country, QCI and NABH have partnered with several organizations like, Indian Medical Association (IMA), Patient Safety and Access Initiative of India Foundation (PSAIIF), Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations (CAHO) and other stakeholders for spreading awareness about the process.
