One of the most well-known accreditation agencies in the world are the Joint Commission, the Joint Commission International and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, (JC and JCAHO), the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua), the Accreditation Commission for Health Care, Inc. (ACHC), and the Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation (HQAA).

Global healthcare in destinations such as Thailand, Singapore, India, South America, Egypt, Jordan, Hungary, Turkey and Croatia also see the need to show high standards and quality of medical care, and have taken steps to be accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI) as well as the Society for International Healthcare Accreditation (SOFIHA) based out of Britain.

The Joint Commission and others designed like it evaluate medical facilities based on a standard of requirements that must be met in order to ‘pass’ inspection.

Accreditation guidelines ensure an external review and evaluation of quality as well as management practices in a wide range of medical fields and scenarios. The focus is on patient care, from the moment they access care to when they are discharged from a hospital or medical facility.

Individuals wishing to find information about a specific facility may find resources at the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua), which is considered the “umbrella” organization for international healthcare accreditation issues. Representing about 70 countries to date, ISQua is dedicated to improving safety and quality of care in facilities throughout the world.

Other International Accreditation facilities include:

· The United Kingdom Accreditation Forum (UKAF)

· Australian Council for Healthcare Standards International (ACHSI)

· Canadian Council on Health Services Regulation (CCHSA)

· Joint Commission International (JCI)

· Trent Accreditation Scheme – aka Trent (U.K., Europe, Hong Kong, Malta, Philippines)