Driving Change and Reinforcing Expectations by Linking Accreditation With Programmatic and Strategic Priorities

摘要

In 2011, the national accreditation program for public health departments was launched, thus establishing national standards that specify and reinforce expectations for health departments. Accreditation can play an important role in stabilizing public health practice, strengthening quality and performance, and driving change. Accreditation-oriented crosswalks are a type of tool that can help realize the benefits of accreditation by highlighting connections between the national accreditation standards and public health programs, policies, and practices. While many different types of accreditation-oriented crosswalks exist, they all provide the same opportunity: to maximize accreditation's impact on improving public health programs specifically and public health agency practices generally. This commentary discusses development and use of crosswalks as a tool that links accreditation to programmatic and strategic priorities.