Participate in Public Vetting of the Next Version of Accreditation Standards & Measures

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Jessica Kronstadt

This entry is part 31 of 41 in the series Focus on Accreditation and Innovation

The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) welcomes public health practitioners and researchers to provide feedback about the draft of Version 2022 of the accreditation Standards & Measures. We need to hear from you to ensure that the new requirements accurately reflect the changing landscape of public health practice. Details about how to participate in the public vetting can be found here. The deadline for submitting your feedback is November 5.

As we have detailed in a previous blog, PHAB has used a data-informed approach to revise the Standards & Measures. We have held a series of think tanks/expert panels and used what we have learned from our experience with the current Standards & Measures to develop the draft standards. Based on those learnings, here are a few features of Version 2022:

The standards are organized into 10 domains to align with the Essential Public Health Services;
The document explicitly calls out the measures that are aligned with the Foundational Capabilities.
Health equity considerations are included in every domain.
Requirements related to preparedness are more robust to incorporate lessons learned from COVID-19 and are better aligned with NACCHO’s Project Public Health Ready and with the reporting requirements for PHEP grantees.

We would like to hear from you about how well we have met the goals of Version 2022: to reflect current aspirations in the field, focus on meeting the intent of the measures rather than on documenting it, promote accountability, and clarify requirements. As demonstrated through research and evaluation findings, the accreditation standards have an impact on the way health departments operate. This is your opportunity to help shape those standards and help advance and transform public health practice.

Visit the Version 2022 Vetting webpage.

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Author Profile

Jessica Kronstadt: Jessica Kronstadt, MPP, is the Vice President for Program, Research, and Evaluation at the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). In that role, she oversees the administration and evaluation of the national accreditation program for state, local, tribal, and territorial health departments, as well as efforts to build the evidence base around accreditation requirements and public health practice. She also engages in research and evaluation activities for the Public Health National Center for Innovations, a division of PHAB. Prior to coming to PHAB, she worked at NORC at the University of Chicago, conducting research on public health services and systems, as well as insurance benefit design, health information technology, and the rural health workforce. Previously, she worked for the Public Health Foundation, focusing on workforce issues. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and served as a guest editor for two special issues/supplements of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. She received her Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College.