The Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP) is an independent, US not-for-profit accrediting body and is an alternative to the Joint Commission.[1] It is the first body to be created in the US for assessing community-based health care organizations.
CHAP was created in 1965 as a joint venture between the American Public Health Association and the National League for Nursing (NLN). CHAP became a separately incorporated, non-profit subsidiary of the NLN in 1988, under the CHAP name. In 1992, CHAP was granted "deeming authority" for home care by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.[2] In 1999 it received deeming authority for hospices.[3] In 2001, it became an independent, non-profit corporation.