Thinking of getting your credentialing program accredited?

Seeking accreditation is a big decision for any certifying body. Before moving forward, consider whether it is the right decision for you and your organization.

First of all, what is accreditation? Accreditation is the process of a credentialing program or organization being evaluated against a third-party’s standards. There are a several accrediting entities in the credentialing industry; the two most well-known are the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and ANSI/ANAB (ISO/IEC 17024). There is also the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC) which focuses on nursing credentialing programs.

What are the benefits of accreditation? Meeting accreditation standards demonstrates to your customers, competitors, and the public that you have gone through a rigorous process of having an unbiased, third-party entity validate that you are following credentialing industry best practices. Accreditation makes your credentialing program seem more legitimate and enhances your credibility. Your stakeholders can be assured that you are committed to continued quality improvement, fair and rigorous assessment of candidates, and providing a meaningful credential that is respected in the industry.

Which accrediting body should we choose? Well, there are a lot of factors that influence that decision and any good psychometrician will say “it depends.” Generally speaking, if you intend for your credential or certifying body to be international, I’d lean toward ANSI/ANAB. If you are already a member of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (I.C.E.), I’d lean toward NCCA. NCCA provides discounted fees to I.C.E. members and even has partnered with the International Accreditation Service (IAS) to provide ISO/IEC 17024 accreditation to currently NCCA accredited programs and those seeking both accreditations simultaneously. ANSI/ANAB focuses on the organization and its processes, while NCCA focuses more on the credential and the processes surrounding the credential.

How much does it cost to become accredited? ANSI/ANAB has a $3,000 application fee and an annual fee based on the gross revenue of the certifying body ($3,000 for those making $0-500,000; 0.6% of revenue for those making $500,001-4,166,66; and $25,000 for those making over $4,166,666). NCCA has a $3,670 application fee ($2,754 for I.C.E. members) and annual fees of $6,670 for organizations with up to 2 accredited programs ($6,145 for I.C.E. members), $1,732 for each additional accredited program ($1,590 for I.C.E. members), and a maximum annual fee of $20,522 ($18,865 for I.C.E. members).

Ultimately, accreditation is a difficult choice that may not be for everyone. Even if your organization doesn’t plan to seek accreditation, you should still try to follow credentialing best practices. You can certainly do right by your candidates and stakeholders without accreditation. A mindset of continuous quality improvement is priceless, and by itself, can help to enhance your credentialing program.