Accreditation Body

Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA)

Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) is the accreditation body designed specifically for the medical tourism and wellness travel industry — including the only accreditation program for recovery stay properties.

What Makes GHA Different

While JCI accredits hospitals broadly, GHA was purpose-built for the medical travel patient journey. Its standards cover the entire experience from pre-arrival coordination through post-departure follow-up — not just clinical quality inside the hospital.

Founded in 2016, GHA is the official strategic partner of the Medical Tourism Association for accreditation and certification. Its CEO, Karen Timmons, previously served as President and CEO of Joint Commission International.

GHA Standards 5.0

GHA’s current standards (version 5.0, effective January 2024) are accredited by the ISQua External Evaluation Association (IEEA) — the same body that accredits JCI. This means GHA accreditation meets the same international benchmarks as JCI accreditation.

WellHotel Accreditation

This is uniquely relevant for recovery tourism. GHA’s WellHotel® Accreditation is a program for hotels, resorts, vacation rentals, and other non-clinical properties that want to demonstrate commitment to wellness and recovery guest experiences.

A resort or hotel with WellHotel accreditation has met GHA’s standards for wellness programming, guest experience, and health-focused accommodations. This is the framework for the emerging recovery stay segment.

Other Programs

In addition to hospital accreditation and WellHotel, GHA offers:

For Recovery Tourism

Any resort or recovery property that earns WellHotel accreditation belongs in our directory. It’s the clearest signal that a non-clinical property takes recovery guests seriously.