Accreditation Fact Sheet

Eligibility:

The scope of accreditation includes APP postgraduate training programs located within the United States that provide a minimum of one year of structured, intensive training in the service delivery setting that supports the transition from academic preparation to clinical practice at the advanced level as a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Associate/Assistant.

These postgraduate programs are intensive, 12-month, full-time training experiences. The trainees are paid, credentialed staff in the service delivery setting. These postgraduate training programs are sponsored by practice-based institutions that are accredited by one or more recognized United States healthcare regulatory authorities (e.g.: Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (Joint Commission) or the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) with the scope, focus, and resources to provide training in the broad and specific clinical, interprofessional, and leadership competencies that are fundamental to safe, quality practice. Many of the programs are based on a patient-centered, primary care, or specialty care delivery model and hold additional certifications, such as NCQA’s PCMH recognition.

Length of review process:

On average, the Accreditation review process lasts from ten to twelve months.

Accreditation Decision:

The Accreditation Commission awards Initial Accreditation to programs that demonstrate full compliance with the accreditation standards and have not had Accreditation from the Consortium in the immediately preceding time period. Renewal of Accreditation may be awarded to programs that have maintained compliance with the accreditation standards during the immediately preceding accreditation term. On rare occasions, the Accreditation Commission may decide to Defer an accreditation decision. Adverse actions by the Accreditation Commission, which will be reported to the U.S. Department of Education and other relevant bodies, are: Denial of Accreditation and Rescinding of Accreditation. At any time during an accreditation term, a program may elect Voluntary Withdrawal of Accreditation.

Duration of accreditation:

Accreditation is awarded for up to three years for Initial Accreditation and for up to five years for Renewal of Accreditation.

Fees:

For Initial Accreditation, the total accreditation fee is $11,000 ($1,000 application fee and $10,000 review fee, inclusive of travel/lodging of site visitors). There may be additional fees if the program includes multiple sites that require additional travel, additional site visit time, or multiple training tracks.

For Renewal of Accreditation, the total accreditation fee is $5,500 ($1,000 application fee and $4,500 review fee). In addition, for programs that are awarded Renewal of Accreditation, there is an annual fee for years 1 through 5 of $3,500 that is due on the anniversary date of the accreditation decision. There may be additional fees if the program includes multiple sites that require additional travel, additional site visit time, or multiple training tracks.

These fees include access to the Consortium’s staff throughout the process to answer questions/discuss issues. There is a separate fee structure for the programs sponsored by the U.S. Veterans Health Administration. Please contact [email protected] for more information.

What is involved in the accreditation review process?

Accreditation is a voluntary, peer-review process initiated at the request of a program.

The Consortium conducts a standards-based, comprehensive review of the candidate program. Evidence considered includes: candidate program documentation (e.g.: application, self-study report, third party comments); site visit report; and any additional requested, relevant, or otherwise submitted information.

The decision for accreditation action is based upon the determination of the program’s compliance with the Consortium’s accreditation standards.

The Consortium accreditation review process consists of these steps:

1. The applicant submits a complete and signed Notice of Intent to Apply form via the Consortium’s website (opens communication between the applicant and the Consortium and confirms eligibility).
2. The applicant submits a completed and signed Application form with a $1,000 payment and the Site Visit is scheduled for approximately eight months in the future.
3. The applicant conducts a self-study and submits a self-study report (within approximately six to eight months of submitting the application); The Consortium’s Accreditation Commission reviews and accepts self-study as complete; the balance of the remaining accreditation fee must be paid prior to the Site Visit.
4. The site visit lasts 1.5 days; the site visitor team’s report is fact-checked and submitted to The Consortium’s Accreditation Commission.
5. The Consortium Accreditation Commission considers relevant findings and documentation and renders a decision regarding accreditation action.
6. The applicant is informed of the Accreditation Commission’s decision within one week, and the decision is posted on the Consortium website.

Consortium for Advanced Practice Providers Seal of Approval:

Programs that receive accreditation or provisional accreditation are authorized to use the Consortium’s Seal of Approval, in a manner consistent with the Consortium’s policies and procedures, as an indication of the Consortium’s accreditation when referencing their program.

Updated and Approved 07/01/2024