# Healthcare accreditation: AAAHC, Joint Commission

> How the major accreditors work, how they relate to CMS deemed status, and what they expect from your incident and quality program.

Source: https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/accreditation

Some accreditors can stand in for a state survey under CMS deemed status, and each works differently.

- [AAAHC accreditation: what ASCs and ambulatory practices should know](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/accreditation/aaahc): How AAAHC accreditation works for ASCs and ambulatory practices: Medicare deemed status, survey types, notice rules and the six-component QI study.
- [Joint Commission accreditation: surveys, sentinel events and safety goals](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/accreditation/joint-commission): How Joint Commission accreditation works: Medicare deemed status, unannounced surveys, tracers, the Sentinel Event Policy and the 2026 hospital goals.
- [CIHQ accreditation: what hospitals and critical access hospitals should know](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/accreditation/cihq): How CIHQ accreditation works for hospitals and critical access hospitals: CMS deemed status, three-year surveys and what CIHQ says it does not require.
- [ACHC accreditation: programs, surveys and documentation](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/accreditation/achc): How ACHC accreditation works for home health, hospice, ASCs and hospitals: CMS deemed status, unannounced surveys, timelines and what to keep on file.
- [Quad A accreditation: surveys, standards and Patient Safety Data Reporting](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/accreditation/quad-a): How Quad A accreditation works for office-based surgery and Medicare ASCs: three-year surveys, yearly self-surveys and quarterly safety data reports.
- [DNV accreditation: CMS-approved programs, surveys and documentation](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/accreditation/dnv): How DNV accreditation relates to CMS deemed status for hospitals, critical access hospitals and ASCs, what CMS checks, and what documentation to keep.
- [CARF accreditation: what providers should know](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/accreditation/carf): How CARF accreditation works for behavioral health, aging services and rehabilitation providers: announced peer surveys, the QIP and annual reporting.