PHAB accreditation is the Public Health Accreditation Board's review of a state, local, territorial or Tribal health department against its national Standards & Measures, renewed through reaccreditation every five years. This service is for health departments preparing for initial accreditation, Pathways Recognition or reaccreditation. Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) maps your documents to the PHAB measures and produces the evidence file; your public health staff own the assessments and plans.

Last reviewed: October 2026. PHAB accreditation, reaccreditation, getting-started, Pathways, fee and readiness pages checked on October 2, 2026.

What is PHAB accreditation?

PHAB states: "State, local, US Territory/Freely Associated State, and Tribal health departments are eligible to apply for Accreditation. PHAB will determine the applicant's eligibility" (PHAB, Initial Accreditation). PHAB reports that "more than 450 health departments have demonstrated their performance and accountability to their communities, policymakers, and other stakeholders through PHAB Accreditation" (PHAB).

The governing text is PHAB's "Accreditation Standards & Measures (2026)," the refreshed Standards & Measures for Initial Accreditation and for Reaccreditation, with the accompanying PHAB Policy and Guide. Which version applies depends on when you apply: "Health departments applying on, or after, July 1, 2026 will do so using the Refreshed Standards & Measures (2026). A health department is reviewed against the set of Standards & Measures under which they apply" (PHAB).

PHAB also runs Pathways Recognition: "There are 32 measures assessed in the Pathways Recognition program, and they are divided into two tracks –Services and Partnerships and Health Department Systems," and "Measures assessed through Pathways can be carried forward and counted toward Initial Accreditation" (PHAB, Pathways Recognition).

Who needs it and what triggers it

A department starts with a mandatory step: "The Readiness and Training process is a mandatory first step in applying for either Initial Accreditation or Pathways Recognition" (PHAB, Getting Started). The clock then runs: "You will have 6 months following completion of the "Initial Accreditation & Pathways Training" to complete the Readiness Assessment and 12 months to complete the "Documentation Intensive for Initial Accreditation & Pathways Training" and the Application for either Pathways or Initial Accreditation" (PHAB).

Accredited departments face a second trigger: "To maintain Accreditation status, the health department will be evaluated against a set of national standards 5 years after Accreditation status has been awarded" (PHAB, Reaccreditation).

The common moments are a department entering Readiness and Training, a department inside its 12-month documentation window, and an accredited department within reach of its five-year reaccreditation.

How IHS helps

IHS works from the PHAB Standards & Measures (2026) and PHAB's published process. The process:

1. Gap assessment. IHS compares your current documents against the PHAB measures that apply to your path.
2. Crosswalk. IHS maps each measure to a departmental document, and marks the measures with no document yet.
3. Project plan. IHS sets up a project plan and evidence-production schedule that fits PHAB's 6-month and 12-month windows.
4. Drafted evidence. IHS drafts policies, plans and narrative evidence for departmental leaders to review and approve.
5. Mock documentation review. IHS reviews the evidence file against the measures and lists what is missing.
6. Reviewer requests. IHS drafts responses to reviewer requests for the department to submit. Your department submits; IHS drafts the text.

What you supply: your community health assessment and community health improvement plan, strategic plan, departmental policies, and the public health staff who own substantive planning.

The limit: the community health assessment and improvement plan are the department's own substantive work. IHS organizes and drafts around them. PHAB itself offers readiness help, described below.

What to have ready

• Your department type, set against PHAB's eligibility list of state, local, US Territory/Freely Associated State and Tribal health departments (PHAB).
• Your planned application date, which decides whether you are reviewed under the Refreshed Standards & Measures (2026) that apply "on, or after, July 1, 2026" (PHAB).
• Registration for Readiness and Training, "a mandatory first step" (PHAB, Getting Started).
• A named team and calendar for the Readiness Assessment, due within 6 months of completing the "Initial Accreditation & Pathways Training" (PHAB).
• A 12-month plan covering the "Documentation Intensive for Initial Accreditation & Pathways Training" and the application (PHAB).
• A decision between Pathways Recognition, with "32 measures" in two tracks, and Initial Accreditation (PHAB, Pathways).
• Your jurisdiction's population, which sets the Annual Accreditation Services Fee tier (PHAB fees, updated June 10, 2026).
• For accredited departments, the date accreditation was awarded, since evaluation comes "5 years after Accreditation status has been awarded" (PHAB).
• A copy of the Standards & Measures (2026) and the PHAB Policy and Guide from the PHAB Learning Center, the text your department is reviewed against (PHAB).

To go through the list with IHS, book the introductory call below.

How it compares

Departments may combine these options. They are not exclusive.

What it costs

PHAB publishes its fees (PHAB fee page, last updated June 10, 2026):

• Readiness & Training Fee: $1,299. PHAB says it "Includes a one-time $500 credit toward the first-year Initial Accreditation fee or Pathways fee, if a health department applies for either program within 12 months of paying the Readiness & Training Fee!"

• "If a health department is Pathways Recognized (demonstrates all measures) and applies for Accreditation within two years, they will receive a $2,400 discount off Accreditation fees ($1,200 off each of the first 2 years' Annual Fees)!"
• Annual VRHS Accreditation Services: $4,100.
• PHAB notes: "Fees are subject to review for potential annual expense adjustments to take effect on July 1st of each year."

Verify current fees with PHAB. IHS scopes each engagement after a free introductory call.

What this is not

• IHS is not PHAB and does not grant, predict or influence an accreditation or recognition decision.
• IHS does not contact, submit to or speak for your department to PHAB. IHS drafts; your department submits.
• IHS does not write your community health assessment or improvement plan as the department's substantive work; your public health staff own them.

Frequently asked questions

What is PHAB accreditation for a public health department?

It is the Public Health Accreditation Board's review of a health department against PHAB's national Standards & Measures. PHAB reports that more than 450 health departments have demonstrated their performance and accountability through PHAB Accreditation.

Which health departments are eligible for PHAB accreditation?

PHAB says state, local, US Territory/Freely Associated State and Tribal health departments are eligible to apply, and that PHAB determines each applicant's eligibility.

Which version of the PHAB Standards & Measures applies to us?

PHAB says health departments applying on or after July 1, 2026 use the Refreshed Standards & Measures (2026), and that a department is reviewed against the set under which it applies. This page does not summarize the individual 2026 changes; IHS works from the 2026 documents in the PHAB Learning Center.

What are the first steps toward PHAB accreditation?

Readiness and Training is a mandatory first step for both Initial Accreditation and Pathways Recognition. After completing the Initial Accreditation & Pathways Training, PHAB gives a department 6 months to complete the Readiness Assessment and 12 months to complete the Documentation Intensive training and the application.

How much does PHAB accreditation cost per year?

PHAB's fee page, updated June 10, 2026, lists a $1,299 Readiness & Training Fee and an Annual Accreditation Services Fee by population: $5,600 for 100,000 or fewer, $8,400 up to 500,000, $11,200 up to 1,000,000, $14,000 up to 5,000,000 and $22,400 above that. Fees may be adjusted each July 1. Verify current fees with PHAB.

Should we pursue Pathways Recognition first or go straight to Initial Accreditation?

PHAB says Pathways assesses 32 measures in two tracks and that measures assessed through Pathways can be carried forward toward Initial Accreditation. A Pathways Recognized department that demonstrates all measures and applies for Accreditation within two years receives a $2,400 fee discount. The choice is the department's; IHS can map your documents against either path.

How does reaccreditation work?

PHAB says that to maintain Accreditation status, a department is evaluated against a set of national standards five years after Accreditation status is awarded.

How do we organize documentation for the measures?

IHS builds a crosswalk that maps each PHAB measure to a departmental document and marks the measures with no document yet. A project plan then schedules the drafting and approval of what is missing within PHAB's 12-month window.

Should we use PHAB's own readiness consulting or an outside consultant?

PHAB offers Accreditation & Reaccreditation Readiness consulting, including a Mock Site Visit, and states its technical assistance does not guarantee conformity in the official review. IHS offers gap assessment, drafting and a mock documentation review. Departments can use either or both.