بشكل عام الإعتماد هو إقرار وشهادة من جهة مخولة بأن المؤسسة الصحية المعتمدة تقدم خدمات صحية ذات نوعية جيدة ومقبولة. وحصول المؤسسة الصحية على إعتماد الهيئة المخولة يعني بأن هذه المؤسسة تقدم خدماتها من خلال منظومة تتفق وتطبق معايير الهيئة المعتمدة. ويرتكز الاعتماد على المشاركة الطوعية من قبل المؤسسات. وتلجأ المؤسسات الصحية إلى الحصول على الإعتماد لأهداف متعددة منها تقييم الذات وتجويد الخدمات بالاضافة إلى تعزيز القدرة التنافسية وتسويق الخدمات.

• Generally, accreditation is the procedure of certifying that a facility is providing services of a reasonably good quality, so that the public can trust in the quality of its services.
   
• Determination by the Joint Commission International (JCI) accrediting body that an eligible health care organization complies with applicable JCI standards (JCI Glossary of terms).
   
• The granting of approval given by accrediting organization, of the processes, policies and procedures utilized by the entity seeking such approval.
   
• Various organizations in the healthcare industry grant accreditation's, such as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and Joint Commission International (JCI).
   
• Accreditation is usually "voluntary".
   
• In Managed Care:
  A voluntary process by which managed care organizations are assessed, reviewed, evaluated and certified based on quality, services, and facilities. Accreditation measures how a plan performs against nationally recognized quality of care and service standards as well as other health plans. The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is the principal accreditor of commercial managed care organizations.