NABH entry-level accreditation for a small clinic Which NABH programme an OPD clinic can apply for, what it costs and what assessors check.

NABH entry-level certification is not available to an OPD-only allopathic clinic. NABH's entry-level programme for allopathic care is written for hospitals and small healthcare organisations with beds and a minimum bed occupancy. A clinic with no inpatients applies instead under NABH's Allopathic Clinics Accreditation Programme, which NABH first released in January 2011 "to mainly cater the small clinics having only OPD facilities and no inpatients". This post covers who fits which programme, the fees NABH publishes, the ten chapters of the clinic standard and the steps from application to certificate.

Everything here comes from nabh.co and the documents NABH links from its programme pages, read on 27 October 2026. NABH's site says its pages are for general information and that the programme guidelines, brochures and notifications are the reference. Check the fee table on the programme page before you apply.

Can an OPD clinic get NABH entry-level certification?

No, not under the allopathic entry-level programme. NABH describes the Entry-Level Certification Programme (2nd Edition) as "a unified quality framework applicable to both Small Healthcare Organisations (SHCOs, up to 50 beds) and Hospitals (HCOs, 51 beds and above)". Its inclusion criteria are "Hospitals providing Allopathic services only", functional for at least six months, with NABH standards implemented for at least three months. The final assessment needs "Minimum 20% occupancy during the last 3 months", rising to 25% and 30% at the first and second renewals, and NABH excludes "Hospitals having less than the required bed occupancy". It also excludes standalone dental, physiotherapy, diagnostics and pathology, psychology, diabetology and de-addiction centres.

NABH's own decision chart in the clinic brochure settles the question. If you are an allopathic clinic or polyclinic that is OPD only, or has day care without overnight patient stay, or has no IPD, you go to the Standards on Allopathic Clinics. Only if you are not does bed strength decide: under 50 beds goes to the SHCO standards, above that to the hospital standards.

Who can apply under the Allopathic Clinics programme?

NABH's programme page sets three conditions: the clinic is "currently in operation", it has "implemented NABH standards for at least three months", and it commits to NABH standards and to "applicable legal, statutory, and regulatory requirements". It excludes non-allopathic systems of medicine and "Standalone single-specialty centres such as Ophthalmology, Imaging Centres, and Dental Clinics". The brochure adds that the doctors must be registered with the NMC or a state medical council, and that NABH accredits the clinic's "entire activities and not for a part of it".

A clinic can also have add-on diagnostic services (endoscopy, a laboratory, imaging), therapeutic services such as a pharmacy, and support services such as physiotherapy or counselling. Those move it into the "with additional services" fee row. Dermatology, dialysis and diabetes clinics also meet a specialty chapter of their own.

What does NABH clinic accreditation cost?

For a clinic or dispensary, NABH's programme page lists an application fee of ₹5,000, an annual fee of ₹15,000, a virtual assessment fee of ₹2,000, ₹15,000 for a focus assessment and ₹6,000 to re-issue a certificate, all with 18% GST extra. A clinic with additional services pays ₹10,000 and ₹40,000. The brochure says the clinic must pay "the annual fee of four years at one time" before the assessment, so write to NABH for the exact total for your scope before budgeting. It also says the fee is based on assessor man-days (one for a clinic, two for a clinic with additional services or a polyclinic), and a larger scope may be charged proportionately more.

The standards, the guidebook and the brochure are free to download from NABH's site. NABH also runs Programme on Implementation sessions led by senior assessors and free monthly "Quality Connect" masterclasses. Consultants, staff time, signage and any equipment the standard exposes as missing are your costs and are not on NABH's fee sheet.

What do the NABH clinic standards cover?

Ten chapters, plus three specialty chapters. The brochure counts 40 standards and 174 objective elements across all thirteen, 52 of them Core, which "will be mandatorily assessed during each assessment". The guidebook's foreword counts 153 objective elements in the ten main chapters, 44 of them Core. Each element is tagged Core, Commitment, Achievement or Excellence; Commitment is checked at the final assessment, Achievement at surveillance and Excellence at re-accreditation.

• Access, Assessment and Continuity of Care (AAC)
• Care of Patients (COP)
• Management of Medication (MOM)
• Patient Rights and Education (PRE)
• Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)
• Patient Safety and Quality Improvement (PSQ)
• Responsibilities of Management (ROM)
• Facility Management and Safety (FMS)
• Human Resource Management (HRM)
• Information Management System (IMS)

Much of it lands on the front desk and the records. A few elements from the guidebook, in NABH's words:

Several of these overlap with rules you already follow. The fee display and the services board are covered in our post on clinic signboard and fee display rules, retention in how long to keep medical records, and a written plan for a system failure in what to do when the clinic internet goes down.

How does the NABH clinic accreditation process run?

1. Download the 2nd Edition clinic standards and guidebook from nabh.co and name one person to coordinate the work.
2. Implement the standards for at least three months and score yourself against the Self-Assessment Toolkit, the checklist of every objective element.
3. Register on the NABH portal under Allopathic Clinics 2nd Edition and apply with the application fee, the completed toolkit, and a Quality or Clinic Manual with the policies and procedures the standards ask for.
4. NABH acknowledges the application with a reference number. After scrutiny the clinic pays the annual fee for four years at one time.
5. NABH and the appointed assessor review your documents and send back gaps to close.
6. On-site assessment: a review of the clinic's scope, documents and records, interviews with staff and patients, and a round of the facility.
7. Send corrective actions for the non-conformities in NABH's format and within the agreed time.
8. NABH's accreditation committee decides; the certificate is valid for four years with its scope attached.

The brochure and guidebook put the mid-term surveillance assessment at 21-24 months; the programme page's summary says 15-18 months, so ask NABH which applies to you. Apply for renewal at least six months before the certificate expires. NABH may make an unannounced visit after a serious complaint or incident, and a clinic can appeal an adverse decision to the NABH chairman within 30 days.

What score does a clinic need to pass?

For a new applicant the brochure's first condition is that "All the regulatory legal requirements should be fully met." Then the clinic needs an overall compliance of at least 80%, and five rules must hold: every Core element scores at least 4; no standard has more than one element scored 2 or less; the average for each standard is at least 4; the average for each chapter is at least 4; and every element scored 3 or below has an accepted action plan with timelines.

The first condition means the legal papers come before NABH: clinical establishment registration where your state requires it, bio-medical waste authorisation and the other papers your state asks for. Our guide to clinic registration in India and the documents required to open a clinic list them state by state.

Is NABH accreditation worth it for a one-doctor OPD?

It depends on what you need it for. NABH says the clinic programme "increases eligibility for empanelment and establishes the clinic's credibility among patients, referring doctors, and insurers". If a payer, a corporate client or a scheme you want to join asks for NABH, that settles it. If no one is asking, the standard is still free to download, and working through the Core elements (written registration process, a defined initial assessment, a unique identifier on every record, a tariff list, a downtime plan) is a reasonable internal checklist whether or not you apply. Before applying, write down three things: who is asking for accreditation, the four-year fee total NABH quotes you, and who in the clinic will own the manual and the records for four years.