Rooted in our commitment to continuous quality improvement, PHAB is refreshing the Accreditation Standards & Measures and creating more flexible processes. Guided by extensive feedback from health departments and informed by years of data, these updates are a refinement of the existing Standards & Measures, not an overhaul. These updates are intended to help health departments better navigate the Standards & Measures, pursue continuous quality improvement, provide more easily understandable and accessible language, and reduce their documentation burden. Read on to see answers to some of the most asked questions.

How did PHAB decide what changes to make?

These updates have been directly informed by extensive feedback provided by subject matter experts, public health professionals, and partners across public health.  Over the past year, PHAB has:

• hosted five webinars with participation from over 400 health departments and distributed three surveys to obtain diverse input from health departments and key partners
• hosted focused and topic-specific conversations to gather input from health departments representing different types, structures, and sizes
• leveraged data sources including Measure-level data from Site Visit Reports, Pre-Site Visit Reviews, and Readiness Assessments in addition to measure related questions from health departments.
• convened the Accreditation Improvement Committee who informed updates to PHAB’s Standards & Measures, policies, and procedures for implementation
• met directly with partner organizations such as ASTHO and NACCHO to inform this work

What kind of changes can departments expect?

The refinement of the Standards & Measures will include:

• Clarity: Using plain language to make requirements easier to understand and apply.
• Relevance: Ensuring requirements are adaptable to community-specific needs/context, removing outdated elements, and reflecting public health priorities.
• Insight: Providing more examples and enhanced guidance to support success.

Are any changes being made to health equity requirements in Version 2026 of the Standards & Measures?

As with previous versions of the Standards & Measures, PHAB remains committed to advancing health equity, and does not require the use of any specific terms or language to meet the Standards. The Measures are intended to demonstrate how a health department implements strategies and interventions to address differences in populations’ health outcomes and the factors contributing to those differences, as defined by the health department.

Will I have the chance to provide feedback on Version 2026?

Public vetting of the Standards & Measures is expected to open this fall. PHAB is interested in suggestions for improvements to the Measures, the requirements, and examples used in the guidance. We welcome feedback about the clarity of the measures and requirements, how important the requirements are to public health practice, and how feasible it would be for health departments to document. 

More information on timing and ways health departments can participate is coming soon.

Learn more about Version 2026 here and to be the first to know when public vetting of the Standards & Measures opens, be sure that you are subscribed to our newsletter here.

Special thanks to Amy Belflower Thomas, Marita Chilton, Emily Frantz, and Sara Nasrallah-Fournier for their extensive work on this project.