Accreditation guide
ACHC accreditation
ACHC (Accreditation Commission for Health Care) accredits home health, hospice, home care, DMEPOS, home infusion therapy, pharmacy and ambulatory infusion centers, among others. Accreditation “is voluntary and is not required for Medicare participation”; a deemed survey replaces the state survey agency’s certification survey, while CMS makes the certification decision.
Educational summary, last reviewed October 17, 2026. Not legal advice — confirm with the state licensing agency or counsel.
Last reviewed October 17, 2026. 21 findings: 15 verified, 6 provisional. 1 time-sensitive, flagged with a recheck date. How findings are sourced and labelled.
1Background and CMS recognition by program
| Accreditor | Medicare home health | Medicare hospice | Home infusion therapy supplier | DMEPOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Joint Commission | March 31, 2026 – March 31, 2032 source | June 18, 2025 – June 18, 2030 source | December 15, 2023 – December 15, 2029 source | Approved source |
| CHAP | March 31, 2024 – March 31, 2030 source | November 20, 2024 – November 20, 2029 source | September 25, 2024 – September 25, 2030 source | Approved source |
| ACHC | February 24, 2025 – February 24, 2031 source | November 27, 2025 – November 27, 2031 source | April 23, 2024 – April 23, 2030 source | Approved source |
| URAC | No | No | March 27, 2024 – March 27, 2030 | No |
| NABP | No | No | September 26, 2024 – September 26, 2030 | Approved |
| The Compliance Team | No | No | September 28, 2024 – September 28, 2030 | Approved |
| HQAA, ABC, BOC | No | No | No | Approved |
Medicare home health
VerifiedCMS approval term: February 24, 2025 – February 24, 2031.
Source: Federal Register 2025-02918
Medicare hospice
VerifiedCMS approval term: November 27, 2025 – November 27, 2031.
Source: Federal Register 2026-06500
Home infusion therapy suppliers
VerifiedCMS approval term: April 23, 2024 – April 23, 2030.
Source: Federal Register 2024-07884CMS Manual Transmittal r10467pi (HIT accreditors)
DMEPOS suppliers
VerifiedACHC is on CMS’s list of eight DMEPOS accrediting organizations (updated January 9, 2026).
Source: CMS: DMEPOS accreditation organizations (updated January 9, 2026)
2Eligible providers and programs
Programs offered
ProvisionalHome Health, Hospice, Home Care (private duty), DMEPOS, Home Infusion Therapy, Pharmacy, Ambulatory Care, Assisted Living, Behavioral Health, Palliative Care and PCAB (compounding). Its Ambulatory Infusion Center accreditation “covers both AIC and AIS services”; pharmacy and nursing are separate service lines. Ambulatory infusion center accreditation is not a CMS deeming program.
Not yet confirmed — check with ACHC.
Source: ACHC: Navigating accreditation for infusion services
3Application and prerequisites
OASIS test transmission; 10 patients served and 7 active; at least two services, one of them skilled nursing and one provided by a W-2 employee; and an approved CMS-855A. These come from a 2014 Florida process sheet.
Not yet confirmed — check with ACHC (current process sheet).
Source: ACHC: Process of initial accreditation, Florida home health (2014)
Fees
ProvisionalACHC describes up-front, all-inclusive pricing covering the survey and all three years, with no annual fees. Current dollar figures are not published.
Not yet confirmed — check with ACHC.
Source: ACHC blog (2017)
4Standards and current edition
Where the standards are
ProvisionalStandards are accessed through ACHC’s Customer Central portal. Infusion pharmacy standards were revised for USP <797> effective June 1, 2024.
Not yet confirmed — check with ACHC.
Source: ACHC: Process of initial accreditation, Florida home health (2014)ACHC: Navigating accreditation for infusion services
Standards crosswalk to Medicare
VerifiedFor deemed programs, an accreditor’s standards are crosswalked to the Medicare Conditions of Participation (42 CFR 484 for home health, 418 for hospice, 486 Subpart I for home infusion therapy) (42 CFR 488.5(a)(3)). From June 16, 2027, accreditors must use the language of the Medicare conditions as their minimum deeming standards, and may add stricter requirements.
Source: 42 CFR 488.5Federal Register 2026-12069 (AO oversight final rule, June 16, 2026)
5Governance, personnel, QAPI and safety
What the standards cover
ProvisionalDeemed-program standards follow the Medicare conditions plus the accreditor’s own additions, typically across governance, quality assessment and performance improvement, infection control, medication management, emergency preparedness, patient rights and staff competency. Standard numbers and text are proprietary and are not reproduced here.
Not yet confirmed — check with ACHC.
Source: 42 CFR 488.5
6What surveyors review
Survey type
ProvisionalThe initial Medicare survey is unannounced; CMS makes the deemed-status decision after receiving ACHC’s report. Accreditation runs three years after approval.
Not yet confirmed — check with ACHC.
Source: ACHC: Process of initial accreditation, Florida home health (2014)
7Readiness, the on-site survey and decisions
Findings and decision letter
VerifiedThe decision letter, Summary of Findings and plan-of-correction form arrive within 10 business days of the last survey day (home health).
Source: ACHC: Meeting requirements for your plan of correction (home health)
8Deficiencies, correction, follow-up and appeals
The plan of correction is due within 10 calendar days of the Summary of Findings; corrections are implemented within 30 calendar days for standard-level and 10 for condition-level deficiencies; requested evidence is due within 60 days. An unacceptable or late plan may change status to Denial of Accreditation.
Source: ACHC: Meeting requirements for your plan of correction (home health)
9Renewal and ongoing obligations
Re-survey ceiling
VerifiedAccreditors must re-survey each accredited provider “no later than 36 months after the prior accreditation effective date”, and surveys must be unannounced (42 CFR 488.5(a)(4)(i)).
Source: 42 CFR 488.5
An accreditor and its consulting affiliate may not provide fee-based consulting to a provider before its initial accreditation survey, to providers it accredits within 12 months before their next re-accreditation survey, or in response to a complaint (42 CFR 488.8(i)).
Source: Federal Register 2026-12069 (AO oversight final rule, June 16, 2026)
CMS required about 16 alignments to the hospice conditions, including state licensure (§418.116(a)), plus Life Safety Code training and training on standard- versus condition-level citing.
Source: Federal Register 2026-06500
10Deemed status, state recognition and limits
What deemed status does
VerifiedA deemed provider is treated as meeting Medicare requirements on the accreditor’s survey. It must let its accreditor release its most current survey to CMS; home health and hospice accreditor surveys are disclosable, and hospice results from October 1, 2022 are posted publicly (42 CFR 488.7). State survey agencies run validation surveys, and a provider found out of compliance loses deemed status until it complies (42 CFR 488.9).
Source: 42 CFR 488.742 CFR 488.9
Accreditors may not survey initial Medicare applicants until the MAC has reviewed the CMS-855A and recommended approval (SOM chapter 2 §2003C).
Initial certification surveys of new home health agencies and hospices not exempt from the nationwide moratorium that began May 13, 2026 “shall not continue” while it lasts.
Time-sensitive. Recheck after about November 13, 2026, when CMS reassesses the moratorium.
Accreditation does not replace a state license where one is required. CMS requires deemed hospices to hold state licensure where state law requires it.
Source: Federal Register 2026-06500
11State by state
Several states accept accreditation in place of a routine licensure survey or for part of licensure; the list varies by accreditor name. Oklahoma’s rule names “Medicare, JCAHO or CHAP”; Ohio’s names ACHC, CHAP or The Joint Commission; Texas names The Joint Commission, CHAP and ACHC.
In practice: Every state on one map: accreditation in place of a state survey.
Official sources
- Federal Register 2025-02918
- Federal Register 2026-06500
- Federal Register 2024-07884
- CMS Manual Transmittal r10467pi (HIT accreditors)
- CMS: DMEPOS accreditation organizations (updated January 9, 2026)
- ACHC: Navigating accreditation for infusion services
- ACHC: Process of initial accreditation, Florida home health (2014)
- ACHC blog (2017)
- 42 CFR 488.5
- Federal Register 2026-12069 (AO oversight final rule, June 16, 2026)
- ACHC: Meeting requirements for your plan of correction (home health)
- 42 CFR 488.7
- 42 CFR 488.9
- CMS State Operations Manual, Chapter 2
- CMS FY 2027 Mission and Priority Document
- OAC 310:662
- OAC 3701-60-03
- 26 TAC §558.503
Revision history
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-17 | First published |
About this guide. Published and maintained by Paloma Health Technologies; Findings are cited to official sources, dated and status-labelled; see the editorial policy. Educational summary, last reviewed October 17, 2026. Not legal advice — confirm with the state licensing agency or counsel.
Questions
ACHC: common questions
How long does ACHC give for a plan of correction?
For home health, 10 calendar days from the Summary of Findings, with corrections in 30 days (standard level) or 10 days (condition level).
Is ACHC’s infusion center accreditation a Medicare program?
No. There is no Medicare certification category for freestanding ambulatory infusion centers.