Heart failure program accreditation is an outside review of how a hospital or health system organizes heart failure care, offered by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Accreditation Services and, as certification, by The Joint Commission and DNV. This page is for inpatient and outpatient heart failure program leaders who are launching a program or pursuing a defined accreditation or certification route. Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) documents your heart failure program's handoffs, review and education controls for accreditation; your cardiologists own the pathways.

Last reviewed: October 2026.

What is heart failure program accreditation?

ACC describes its program this way: "Heart Failure Accreditation provides organizations with the framework, education and evidence-based tools needed to ensure patients receive consistent, guideline-directed care" (ACC, Heart Failure Accreditation). ACC offers two versions. The second is described as "HF with Outpatient Services: Best for facilities providing longitudinal heart failure management in partnership with an outpatient facility" (ACC).

The governing texts, by route:

• ACC route. The "ACCF Accreditation Services® Program Requirements," REV 5.1, posted 03/16/2026, section "For Heart Failure ("HF") Accreditation," together with the Accreditation / Certification Services Agreement. The requirements document states: "By signing the Accreditation / Certification Services Agreement ("Agreement") and indicating the Accreditation Program(s) your Facility wishes to participate in, your Facility agrees to comply with the Agreement and this Program Requirements document" (ACCF Program Requirements, REV 5.1). The detailed heart failure criteria sit inside ACC's online tool and are not quoted on this page.
• Joint Commission route. The "2026 Comprehensive Certification Manual for Disease Specific Care Including Advanced Programs for DSC Certification," with standards effective January 1, 2026. The manual lists "Heart Failure" among its advanced programs (Joint Commission product page). The Joint Commission's cardiac page lists a basic "Heart failure" certification and an "Advanced Heart Failure" certification, offered with the American Heart Association (Joint Commission, cardiac certification).
• DNV route. DNV Heart Failure Advanced Certification, "A comprehensive, standards-based certification designed for hospitals that provide structured, multidisciplinary heart failure care" (DNV).

Who needs it and what triggers it

The buyers are leaders of inpatient and outpatient heart failure programs. Nothing in the sources we reviewed makes heart failure accreditation mandatory. The triggers are program decisions:

• A program that wants a defined, guideline-based structure reviewed from outside. The Joint Commission's advanced tier requires more than its core: "When seeking an advanced certification, you must meet the core requirements plus additional clinically-specific requirements" (Joint Commission).
• A program that manages patients over time with an outpatient partner, which is the case ACC's HF with Outpatient Services option describes (ACC).
• An anniversary date. ACC states that "Accreditation is granted for three (3) years" and that "it is strongly recommended that the facility submits its application for re-Accreditation no later than six (6) months before its Anniversary Date" (ACCF Program Requirements, REV 5.1).
• A certification cycle ending. The Joint Commission's certification process page states a decision "valid for approximately two years" (Joint Commission, certification process).

How IHS helps

Your organization chooses ACC, The Joint Commission or DNV. IHS then works through that route with your team:

1. A gap assessment against that route's requirements, using questionnaires on referral, discharge, follow-up and patient education.
2. Document and evidence mapping: a crosswalk from each requirement to the record that shows you meet it.
3. Drafting: responsibility documents, multidisciplinary review procedures and patient-education document controls, built from the pathways your cardiology team approves. Your clinicians review and approve every clinical element.
4. A mock review against the requirements before the site review.
5. Readiness support, including drafted responses to findings for your team to review and submit.

What you supply: the requirements (ACC tool access or the Joint Commission manual), your clinical pathways, patient-education materials, program data, and your cardiology leaders' decisions.

The limit: clinical pathways and outcome data stay with cardiology. IHS does not write clinical pathways, does not interpret outcome data, and does not submit anything to ACC, The Joint Commission or DNV. Your organization does.

What to have ready

This is the list we would ask for first, each item tied to the text that requires it.

• A signed ACC Accreditation / Certification Services Agreement naming the HF program, if you take the ACC route (ACCF Program Requirements, REV 5.1).
• Named people for each program, since "Each Facility must designate and provide contact information for each Accreditation Program," including a "Key Contact," "Executive Sponsor," "Invoicing/Payment Contact," "Marketing Contact" and at least one "Accreditation User" (ACCF Program Requirements, REV 5.1).
• Capacity to complete the Baseline Gap Analysis on time: "Submission of the BGA is expected within sixty (60) days of receiving access to the tool" (ACCF Program Requirements, REV 5.1).
• A plan to submit the application within ACC's window: "Submission of the Application is expected within twelve (12) months of receiving access to the online tool" (ACCF Program Requirements, REV 5.1).
• A data source for HF: "The Facility must demonstrate active data entry into the HF Accreditation Conformance Database ("ACD") as outlined in the HF ACD User Guide" (ACCF Program Requirements, REV 5.1).
• A decision on reports. ACC allows that "The Facility may elect to utilize reports from a Nationally Recognized Database or utilize internally developed reports to demonstrate compliance with all required data elements" (ACCF Program Requirements, REV 5.1).
• A named outpatient partner, if you pursue HF with Outpatient Services (ACC).
• For The Joint Commission route, the three core components: "standards, clinical practice guidelines, and performance measurement. You choose your own measures" (Joint Commission, Cardiac).
• A measure process that can "collect monthly data for each measure in the set," submitted "quarterly to Joint Commission via the Certification Measure Information Process (CMIP)" (Joint Commission, Disease-Specific Care).
• Patient records that let a reviewer "follow the experience of care for patients through the program's entire continuum of care" under the tracer methodology (Joint Commission).

If most of this is in place, the introductory call is the place to start.

How it compares

Each route is run by a different body with its own requirements. This page does not recommend one over another.

What it costs

ACC publishes its fee terms but not the fee amount. The Program Requirements state: "The Facility is required to pay an annual fee for each Accreditation Program." "The annual fee is non-refundable." "The Facility is responsible for all travel costs for up to two (2) ACCF staff members for each Site Review to be conducted onsite at the Facility." And: "A Criteria Deficient fee of up to five thousand US Dollars (USD$5,000.00) may be assessed if the Facility fails to meet the Accreditation requirements at the time of the Site Review" (ACCF Program Requirements, REV 5.1). Verify current fees with ACC.

The Joint Commission does not publish a certification fee schedule on the pages we reviewed; fees depend on scope. Its pricing page covers accreditation, not certification (Joint Commission pricing). The 2026 DSC manual e-book lists at $359.00, which is the price of the publication, not a certification fee (Joint Commission product page). DNV does not publish a fee schedule on the pages we reviewed; fees depend on scope.

IHS scopes each engagement after a free introductory call.

What this is not

• IHS is not an accrediting or certifying body and does not grant, influence or predict a decision by ACC, The Joint Commission or DNV.
• IHS does not submit applications or corrective actions to any of these bodies or correspond with them on your behalf. IHS drafts; your organization submits.
• This page is not clinical or legal advice. Heart failure pathways, treatment decisions and outcome interpretation belong to your cardiologists.

Frequently asked questions

What is heart failure accreditation and who offers it?

It is an outside review of how a heart failure program is organized and run. ACC Accreditation Services offers Heart Failure Accreditation and HF with Outpatient Services. The Joint Commission offers basic Heart failure and Advanced Heart Failure certification with the American Heart Association, and DNV offers Heart Failure Advanced Certification.

ACC Heart Failure Accreditation vs Joint Commission Advanced Heart Failure certification: which should we pursue?

The choice belongs to your organization. ACC accreditation runs for three years and requires data entry into its HF Accreditation Conformance Database. The Joint Commission advanced certification requires its core standards plus clinically specific requirements, is valid for approximately two years, and includes an intracycle call a year after award.

What is HF with Outpatient Services and do we qualify?

ACC describes it as best for facilities providing longitudinal heart failure management in partnership with an outpatient facility. Whether your program fits depends on that outpatient partnership and on the criteria in ACC's online tool.

What data do we have to submit for ACC heart failure accreditation?

ACC's Program Requirements, REV 5.1, state that the facility must demonstrate active data entry into the HF Accreditation Conformance Database as outlined in the HF ACD User Guide.

Can we use internal reports instead of a registry?

ACC's Program Requirements allow it. The facility may use reports from a nationally recognized database or internally developed reports to demonstrate compliance with all required data elements.

How long does heart failure accreditation take and how long does it last?

On the ACC route, the Baseline Gap Analysis is expected within 60 days of tool access and the application within 12 months, and accreditation is granted for three years. ACC recommends applying for re-accreditation no later than six months before the anniversary date. The Joint Commission's certification process page states a decision "valid for approximately two years."

What does heart failure program accreditation cost?

ACC charges a non-refundable annual fee per program but does not publish the amount. The facility also pays travel for up to two ACCF staff per site review, and a Criteria Deficient fee of up to USD $5,000 may be assessed. The Joint Commission and DNV do not publish certification fees on the pages we reviewed. Verify current fees with each body.

What happens at a Joint Commission heart failure certification review?

One or two Joint Commission reviewers use the tracer methodology to follow patients' care through the program's continuum. Corrective actions are due within 60 days after the survey, and the Joint Commission states the final decision is made by its central office within 10 days of the review.

Is DNV heart failure certification an option for our hospital?

DNV describes its Heart Failure Advanced Certification as designed for hospitals that provide structured, multidisciplinary heart failure care. DNV's page describes annual surveys with an option for a remote survey once every 3-year cycle.

What happens if ACC finds us deficient at the site review?

ACC's Program Requirements state that a facility found deficient in any criteria at the site review will be given detailed instructions for becoming compliant and removing the criteria-deficient status. A Criteria Deficient fee of up to USD $5,000 may apply.