01
Who's coming on site, for how many days?
Vague answer means you're buying a document kit with a person attached.
What we do → Operations & quality
Accreditation that still holds a year later.
One of six areas we work in. Often the trigger, rarely the whole job.
01 — Which one you need
Entry-level is certification. The others are accreditation.
Different standards, different eligibility. Aiming at the wrong one costs a year.
| Programme | Current edition | Who it's for | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry-Level Certification | 2nd Edition, Nov 2025 | Allopathic, up to 300 beds. Functional 6 months, standards implemented 3 months. | 2 years |
| SHCO Accreditation | 3rd Edition, Aug 2022 | Up to 50 sanctioned beds. Full accreditation, not entry-level. | 4 years |
| Hospital Accreditation | 6th Edition, Jan 2025 | Above 50 sanctioned beds. Surveillance in year two. | 4 years |
| AB‑PM‑JAY Certification | Bronze / Silver / Gold | Worth +5%, +10% and +15% on package rates. | Bronze 2 years |
Verify current editions on nabh.co before budgeting. We check at the start of every engagement.
02 — What NABH charges
The fees before you pay anyone else.
Almost nobody in this category publishes these. You should see them first.
| Beds | Standard | Rebated |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 5 | ₹21,000 | — |
| 6 – 20 | ₹40,000 | ₹30,000 |
| 21 – 50 | ₹80,000 | ₹48,000 |
| 51 – 100 | ₹1,60,000 | ₹96,000 |
| 101 – 300 | ₹2,00,000 | ₹1,20,000 |
Rebate notified to 30 September 2026. Excludes GST.
| Programme | Application | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| SHCO, up to 50 | ₹25,000 | ₹1,50,000 |
| HCO, up to 100 | ₹40,000 | ₹2,00,000 |
| HCO, 101 – 300 | ₹75,000 | ₹3,00,000 |
| HCO, 301 – 500 | ₹1,00,000 | ₹4,00,000 |
| HCO, 501+ | ₹1,50,000 | ₹5,00,000 |
Excludes GST. As published by NABH; confirm before budgeting.
03 — The plan
Seven months, a gate at the end of each.
Starting near zero. With systems already running it's faster; with infrastructure gaps, slower. We tell you which after the gap assessment.
Month 1
Gap assessment
Walk-through, records, staff interviews. A written baseline, every gap ranked by risk and cost to close.
Gate — capex flagged in writing before you commit further.
Month 2
SOP build
Drafted with your department heads, not handed to them. Formats, forms and registers set up.
Gate — department heads sign off their own SOPs. If they won't, the SOP is wrong.
Month 3
Training & rollout
Live training with competency records. SOPs go into daily use now, not the week before assessment.
Gate — records complete for every department.
Month 4
Documentation & committees
Minutes, quality indicators, incident reporting and audit trails built from real activity. History can't be back-dated.
Gate — indicators producing real monthly data.
Month 5
Internal & mock audits
Two rounds, run by your team under our supervision. Non-conformities logged, owned, closed.
Gate — NC closure trail complete and defensible.
Months 6–7
Assessment & handover
Pre-assessment, corrections, rehearsal, support on assessment day — then handover to a named owner so the surveillance year doesn't need us.
Gate — application filed. The date is NABH's to set, not ours.
What we do
- Gap assessment against the current standard
- Chapter-wise SOPs, formats and registers
- Training, delivery and competency records
- Committees, minutes and quality indicators
- Internal and mock audits, NC closure
- Assessor readiness and day-of support
What your team does
- Nominate a quality coordinator and department leads
- Give access to records, systems and clinical areas
- Attend training and adopt SOPs into daily work
- Run the internal audits, with us supervising
- Approve capex flagged in the gap assessment
We put the estimate of your team's hours in the proposal. It's the number most consultants leave out.
04 — Before you hire anyone
Four questions. Ask us too.
Published fees in this category run from ₹10,000 to over ₹4,50,000 with no stated basis.
02
What can't you promise me?
"Nothing" or "100% success rate" means they're selling an outcome they don't control.
03
Are you affiliated with NABH?
Ask for proof rather than accepting a logo on a website.
04
How many hours of my staff's time?
Anyone who hasn't thought about it hasn't thought about implementation.
NABH gives away sample policies, SOPs and checklists free through E-Mitra, and states plainly that using them guarantees nothing. If a consultant's deliverable is a binder, you're paying for a free good.
Find out where you stand.
Thirty minutes and we'll tell you which programme fits, how far off you are, and whether this year is realistic.