Organisations are assessed against the ISQua EEA Standards for External Evaluation Organisations (the Standards).  Prior to the survey, the organisation is required to submit a self-assessment tool (SAT) outlining their compliance with all requirements in the Standards along with supporting evidence via our online survey management system – ISQua EEA Collaborate. Three international peer review surveyors then travel to the organisation for a 5-day survey to validate the organisation’s compliance with the ISQua EEA Standards. The organisation is responsible for the costs of the surveyors’ flexible economy flights, accommodation and subsistence.

Download and read carefully the Guidelines and Standards for External Evaluation Organisations

Am I eligible?

To be eligible for assessment, an organisation must meet one of the following criteria:

1)Be an established external evaluation organisation*

*An organisation which carries out an external, independent assessment of a health or social care organisation against standards, guidelines, indicators or other measures. The external evaluation organisation is not affiliated with the service being assessed.

2)Have been operational for at least one year.

Note: The Standards underpinning the programme provided should be accredited by ISQua EEA. Evidence regarding the accreditation status must be provided as part of the application process.

If there are any doubts as to whether an organisation is an external evaluation organisation, ISQua EEA will make a decision based on the criteria for independence, impartiality and conflicts of interest:

1)An organisation is not considered to be an independent external evaluation organisation 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.

2)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.

3)It also does not exclude associations of healthcare providers or healthcare professionals from ownership or a governance role if the association as such does not deliver healthcare services (even though its members may do).

Fees

The ISQua EEA fees are based on the World Bank rankings for the country in which an organisation is located and operating out of.

Annual Fees – Accreditation of External Evaluation Organisations (using standards developed internally) 2024 / 2025
Low Income Countries €3,850
Lower Middle-Income Countries €4,400
Upper Middle –Income Countries Category 1 €4.950
Upper Middle-Income Countries Category 2 €5,225
High Income Countries €5,500
Annual Fees – Accreditation of External Evaluation Organisations (using standards developed by another organisation) 2024/2025
Low Income Countries €4,950
Lower Middle-Income Countries €5,500
Upper Middle –Income Countries Category 1 €6,050
Upper Middle-Income Countries Category 2 €6,325
High Income Countries €6,600

To ascertain what fees apply to you – please review the World Bank listing here WorldBank and the country classification list.

Discounts Available

The following discount options are now available. Only one discount option will apply.

Client organisations will be advised if they are eligible for a discount and which option applies. Details of the discount applied will be included on invoices issued either on an annual basis or when such discount applies.

DISCOUNT 1 – MULTIPLE STANDARDS:

If the organisation has two or more sets of standards accredited with ISQua EEA, then a 5% discount will be applied to the third and any subsequent set of standards accredited with ISQua EEA.

DISCOUNT 2 – FULL IAP PACKAGE:

If the organisation has applied for, or received accreditation for their Standards, Surveyor Training Programme and Organisation, a 5% discount will apply.

First Time Clients

For organisations applying for accreditation for the first time, an additional optional service of an advance technical review is available at an extra cost of €1,000.

This allows the organisation to prepare their submission in advance of scheduling a survey and to receive guidance on the actual submission including where criteria may have been misinterpreted, where gaps in compliance are noted or where additional evidence may be required.

This gives client organisations time to work on their submission and to agree on realistic survey dates with ISQua EEA based on the feedback received.

Process

Apply

All organisations must complete an application form and pay the access fee prior to entry into the programme.

Survey Preparation

Organisations will receive their critical path (including survey dates), access to the self-assessment tool (SAT) and the resource documents within the online survey management tool ISQua EEA Collaborate. We strongly recommend that organisations spend a minimum of 10 months completing the SAT and the critical path will reflect this.

Technical Review

The completed self-assessment tool, the standards (if applicable) and supporting evidence are submitted by the organisation for technical review 8 weeks prior to the agreed survey start date. All documents must be in English. The aim of the technical review is to ensure that the self-assessment tool has been completed in accordance with ISQua EEA requirements and that all criteria and principles/standards are rated. A technical review report is sent to the organisation commenting on any areas which need to be addressed. No comment is made on compliance.

Final Submission of SAT

The completed self-assessment tool and the supporting evidence must be submitted to ISQua EEA 4 weeks prior to the agreed survey start date. No further changes are accepted after this date.

Survey

For the assessment of standards or surveyor training programmes, the SAT and supporting evidence will be assessed by a team of international peer review surveyors as a desktop/remote exercise. This survey takes place over a 2-week period. Similarly, the assessment of quality and patient safety training programmes are undertaken as a desk-top/remote exercise over the course of a week by one international peer review surveyor. For the assessment of organisations, the SAT and supporting evidence will be assessed by a team of three international peer review surveyors who will travel to the organisation for a 5-day on-site survey.

Factual Accuracy Review

The organisation will be given the opportunity to undertake a factual review of the draft survey report to ensure that the surveyors have not misinterpreted evidence or missed information. The feedback will be shared with the survey team who will review it and, if appropriate, amend the survey report accordingly.

Validation Review

The survey report is then sent for validation review and this is undertaken by one of our senior surveyors or a member of the ISQua EEA Accreditation Council. The purpose of the validation review is to ensure that the ratings in the survey report reflect the findings and that the report supports the survey team’s award recommendation.

Award Decision

The award recommendations from the survey team and the ISQua EEA validation reviewer are sent to the ISQua EEA External Evaluation Award Committee (EEAC). The EEAC governs the International Accreditation Programme on behalf of ISQua EEA and is responsible for making the final award decision. The Accreditation Award is valid for a period of 4 years. Accredited organisations receive an Accreditation Certificate and can use the ‘ISQua EEA Accredited’ logo. The use of these are subject to ISQua EEA’s terms & conditions.

Continuous Assessment

Continuing accreditation status is subject to the completion and submission of progress reports. Organisations with accredited standards, surveyor training programmes and organisational accreditation must submit progress reports 12- and 30- months’ post-award outlining how they are addressing the recommendations identified in their survey report. Organisations with accredited quality and patient safety training programmes must submit annual progress reports and advise ISQua EEA of any significant changes to their quality and patient safety training programme. Organisations must also provide evidence as part of this process. Failure to provide progress reports and/or requested supporting evidence will result in an organisation being in breach of their accreditation status and accreditation may be revoked.

Re-Accreditation

Organisations will be contacted 9 months prior to their accreditation expiry date to schedule the re-accreditation of their standards/surveyor training programme/organisation/quality and patient safety training programme. Re-accreditation surveys take place at least 3 months before the end of the accreditation cycle to prevent any lapses in accreditation.

Next Steps

  • Check the eligibility criteria to ensure you are eligible for entry to the International Accreditation Programme.
  • Read the Guidelines and Standards for External Organisations and conduct your own gap analysis to understand your organisation’s current level of compliance with the ISQua EEA standards. This will allow you to identify areas that your organisation is performing well in relation to as well as areas where some further work may be required. It will also help you to determine your organisation’s readiness for an ISQua EEA organisational survey and to agree realistic survey dates with ISQua EEA.
  • Review the Terms and Conditions for Onsite Organisational Surveys which sets out your obligations.
  • Download the Application Form, complete and send to ISQua EEA support@ieea.ch. You will be contacted by a member of the team to progress your application.