Accreditation is a mark of achievement - a signal to families, third party payers and other providers of health care services that the birth center has voluntarily sought evaluation of the quality of the services that it provides. It means that the birth center seeks to uphold established standards for excellence and is willing to be measured through a process of internal and external review.
All birth centers that seek to meet the established standards adopted by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers may apply. A birth center is defined as one that has autonomy in formulating policies and procedures for the operation of the facility and the program of care for the childbearing families that it serves.
Ideally, preparation for accreditation begins with the planning of a birth center. The Standards for Birth Centers and the CABC Manual for Accreditation constitute a foundation upon which to design the facility and the program of services. If the center is already operational, the standards and the manual provide a checklist for determining readiness to reach for the mark of quality represented by accreditation. Workshops are offered to assist birth centers in assessing readiness and to prepare them for the accreditation process.
For more information on birth center accreditation, please contact the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers.