Accrediting body development is the work of building an organization that accredits health or social care providers, and of preparing that organization for its own external evaluation. One international program that accredits such bodies is the International Accreditation Programme (IAP) of the ISQua External Evaluation Association (ISQua EEA). Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) builds survey, surveyor and decision procedures for new accrediting bodies and readiness programs for providers abroad.
Last reviewed: October 2026.
What is ISQua EEA accreditation?
ISQua EEA accreditation is an external evaluation of the evaluators: it assesses accrediting bodies, their standards and their training programs. ISQua EEA describes itself as “Trusted Accreditation for Health & Social Care Evaluators” providing “third-party external evaluation services to health and social care external evaluation organisations and standards-developing bodies” (ISQua EEA). Its program, in its own words: “The International Accreditation Programme (IAP) delivers a unique global accreditation service to health and social care external evaluation organisations and standards developing bodies” (ISQua EEA, IAP).
The IAP runs separate programs for health and social care standards, for external evaluation organisations, for surveyor training programmes, and for quality and patient safety training programmes.
The governing texts
- Guidelines and Principles for the Development of Health and Social Care Standards, 6th Edition. ISQua EEA: “All standards will be assessed against the 6th Edition from July 2026 onwards. Organisations with survey dates from July 2025 – June 2026 may elect to be surveyed against either the 5th or 6th Edition of the Principles” (ISQua EEA announcement).
- Guidelines and Standards for External Evaluation Organisations. ISQua EEA's published download of this document is labelled 5th Edition, Version 1.1.
The 6th Edition also changes how results are scored. ISQua EEA states that “the 4-point rating scale has been replaced by a 3-point rating scale and the numerical model for the awarding of accreditation has been replaced by a risk-based assessment approach” (ISQua EEA announcement).
Who needs it and what triggers it
The buyer is an accrediting body, or the ministry or board setting one up, that wants its own work evaluated against an international standard. These events start the work:
- Applying for organisation accreditation. ISQua EEA's eligibility terms are “Be an established external evaluation organisation” and “Have been operational for at least one year”, with the note that “The Standards underpinning the programme provided should be accredited by ISQua EEA” (ISQua EEA, External Evaluation Organisations).
- Standards coming up for assessment from July 2026. From that date all standards are assessed against the 6th Edition of the Principles (ISQua EEA announcement).
- A government establishing an evaluation body. ISQua EEA states: “This does not exclude a government (national or regional) from establishing an external evaluation organisation that will have publicly or privately owned healthcare providers as clients” (ISQua EEA).
- An award nearing the end of its term. “The Accreditation Award is valid for a period of 4 years” (ISQua EEA).
A hospital or other provider outside the United States is a different buyer. It works to the standards of the accreditor it has chosen and to its own country's law. This page does not quote any provider-side accreditor's standards; IHS works from whichever standards the provider has chosen.
How IHS helps
IHS starts with a gap assessment against the governing text, then drafts what is missing. For a new or existing accrediting body, the sequence is:
- Gap assessment against ISQua EEA's standards for external evaluation organisations and, where the body writes its own standards, the 6th Edition Principles.
- Document and evidence mapping. Each standard is tied to the policy, record or minute that shows it is met, organized for ISQua EEA's self-assessment tool (SAT).
- Drafting of a standards-development framework and the survey, surveyor qualification, accreditation decision, governance and conflict-of-interest procedures. IHS drafts the program, policies and clinical content for your clinicians and subject experts to review and approve.
- Mock review of the drafted procedures and evidence against the governing text, before the SAT is final.
- Readiness support, with drafted application and SAT text. Your organization's named contact submits; IHS drafts the text.
For a provider abroad, IHS runs the same build sequence against the standards of the provider's chosen accreditor, ending in a mock review and drafted application text the provider submits.
What you supply
- Local legal and regulatory advice.
- Translation where needed.
- Subject experts who own the standards.
- Governance decisions: who approves standards, procedures and accreditation decisions.
The limit
IHS does not advise on foreign law. On-site work outside the United States depends on the travel availability of Thomas G. Goddard, JD, PhD. IHS does not contact ISQua EEA or any accreditor on your behalf.
What to have ready
Each item comes from ISQua EEA's published requirements and links to its source.
- Evidence that you are an established external evaluation organisation (eligibility).
- Records showing at least one year of operation (“Have been operational for at least one year”, eligibility).
- An ownership, purchasing and commissioning statement tested against ISQua EEA's independence rule: an organisation is not independent “if it owns or shares ownership with healthcare providers that are (or are eligible to become) clients of that organisation,” and the same is the case if it buys, commissions, or procures health care services from providers that are (or are eligible to become) its clients (eligibility).
- A decision on whose standards you will use, your own or another organisation's; ISQua EEA prices the two differently (fees).
- For standards you write, development records that can be assessed against the 6th Edition Principles, which apply to all standards assessments from July 2026 (6th Edition).
- Status of your standards' own ISQua EEA accreditation (“The Standards underpinning the programme provided should be accredited by ISQua EEA”, eligibility).
- A work plan for the SAT of at least 10 months: “We strongly recommend that organisations spend a minimum of 10 months completing the SAT” (process).
- A submission schedule that includes technical review: ISQua EEA states the completed self-assessment tool, the standards (if applicable) and supporting evidence are submitted for technical review 8 weeks prior to the agreed survey start date, and final submission is due 4 weeks prior, with no changes accepted after (process).
- Logistics for an on-site survey: “Three international peer review surveyors then travel to the organisation for a 5-day survey” (process).
- If you also run surveyor training, the program materials; ISQua EEA assesses standards and surveyor training programmes “as a desktop/remote exercise” over “a 2-week period” (process).
- A plan for the progress reports due “12- and 30- months' post-award” (post-award).
- A budget line for ISQua EEA's published fees and for surveyor costs, which the organisation bears (fees).
If several of these items are still open, the introductory call is where IHS scopes the gap assessment.
How it compares
The main choices an accrediting body makes before applying are whose standards it uses and who establishes it. ISQua EEA's published pages address both.
| Option | What ISQua EEA's pages say |
|---|---|
| Standards developed internally | Priced as “Accreditation of External Evaluation Organisations (using standards developed internally)” (source) |
| Standards developed by another organisation | Priced as a separate category (source) |
| Government-established body | “This does not exclude a government (national or regional) from establishing an external evaluation organisation that will have publicly or privately owned healthcare providers as clients” (source) |
A body that writes its own standards takes on the standards-development work as well as the organisation assessment. IHS's reading (October 2026): because ISQua EEA notes that the underpinning standards “should be accredited by ISQua EEA” and assesses all standards against the 6th Edition from July 2026, a body writing its own standards faces that assessment too. ISQua EEA states the independence rule “does not exclude a government (national or regional) from establishing an external evaluation organisation that will have publicly or privately owned healthcare providers as clients,” and does not exclude associations of healthcare providers or professionals from ownership or a governance role if the association as such does not deliver healthcare services (source).
What it costs
ISQua EEA publishes its fees: a one-time Access Fee, annual fees that depend on whose standards you use and your country's income level, an optional advance technical review, and surveyor costs (External Evaluation Organisations; IAP).
| Fee (as ISQua EEA names it) | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Access Fee, “a once off payment, which entitles an organisation to enter the International Accreditation Programme (IAP)” | €1,716 (Low Income Countries) to €2,860 (High Income Countries) | €1,767 (Low Income Countries) to €2,946 (High Income Countries) |
| Annual fees, using standards developed internally | €4,004 to €5,720 | €4,124 to €5,892 |
| Annual fees, using standards developed by another organisation | €5,148 to €6,864 | €5,302 to €7,070 |
| Advance technical review (optional, first-time applicants) | “an additional optional service of an advance technical review is available at an extra cost of €1,000” | |
ISQua EEA also states that the organisation is responsible for the costs of the surveyors' flexible economy flights, accommodation and subsistence. Fees read from ISQua EEA's pages in October 2026; verify current fees with ISQua EEA before budgeting.
IHS scopes each engagement after a free introductory call.
What this is not
- This is not legal advice, and IHS does not advise on the law of any country outside the United States.
- It is not a guarantee of ISQua EEA's or any accreditor's decision. The accreditor decides.
- IHS does not submit to, correspond with, or represent a client before ISQua EEA or any accreditor. Your organization's named contact submits; IHS drafts the text.
Frequently asked questions
What is ISQua EEA accreditation, and who can apply?
It is ISQua EEA's International Accreditation Programme, which “delivers a unique global accreditation service to health and social care external evaluation organisations and standards developing bodies” (source). For organisation accreditation, an applicant must be an established external evaluation organisation that has been operational for at least one year.
What does an accrediting body need before ISQua EEA will survey it?
A completed self-assessment tool (SAT), the standards (if applicable) and supporting evidence, submitted for technical review eight weeks before the agreed survey start date, with final submission four weeks before that date, after which ISQua EEA accepts no further changes (source). ISQua EEA strongly recommends at least 10 months on the SAT. The organisation must also meet the eligibility and independence terms.
What changed in the 6th Edition of ISQua EEA's standards-development principles?
ISQua EEA states that the 4-point rating scale was replaced by a 3-point scale and the numerical model for awarding accreditation was replaced by a risk-based assessment approach (source). All standards are assessed against the 6th Edition from July 2026. Organisations with survey dates from July 2025 to June 2026 could choose the 5th or 6th Edition.
How long does ISQua EEA accreditation take, and how long does it last?
ISQua EEA recommends at least 10 months to complete the SAT, followed by a 5-day on-site survey by three international peer review surveyors; standards and surveyor training programmes are assessed remotely over two weeks (source). The award is valid for four years, with progress reports due at 12 and 30 months after the award.
How much does ISQua EEA accreditation cost?
ISQua EEA's 2026 Access Fee runs from €1,716 to €2,860 by country income level, and 2026 annual fees from €4,004 to €6,864 depending on income level and whose standards you use (source). An optional advance technical review costs €1,000, and the organisation bears surveyor costs. Verify current fees with ISQua EEA.
How do we write surveyor qualification, survey, and accreditation decision procedures?
IHS drafts them as part of the build, mapped to ISQua EEA's standards for external evaluation organisations after a gap assessment. Your subject experts and governing body review and approve each procedure. A mock review then tests the drafted procedures and evidence before the SAT is final.
How does an accreditor manage conflicts of interest and independence?
ISQua EEA's independence criteria begin with ownership: an organisation is not considered independent “if it owns or shares ownership with healthcare providers that are (or are eligible to become) clients of that organisation.” The same is the case if the organisation buys, commissions, or procures health care services from providers that are (or are eligible to become) clients of that organisation (source). IHS drafts the conflict-of-interest and governance procedures; your governing body decides the ownership and governance structure.
Can a government ministry run its own accreditation body?
ISQua EEA states that its independence rule “does not exclude a government (national or regional) from establishing an external evaluation organisation that will have publicly or privately owned healthcare providers as clients,” and does not exclude associations of healthcare providers or professionals from ownership or a governance role if the association as such does not deliver healthcare services (source). Whether a specific ministry also commissions or buys services from its clients is a question for your counsel and governance.
Should we develop our own standards or use another organisation's?
ISQua EEA prices the two differently: 2026 annual fees run €4,004 to €5,720 with internally developed standards and €5,148 to €6,864 with another organisation's (source). It also notes that the standards underpinning the program should be accredited by ISQua EEA. The choice belongs to your governing body.