[1] Headquartered in Chicago, HFAP is an accreditation organization with authority from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
HFAP also accredits mental health and physical rehabilitation facilities and provides certification for primary stroke centers.
HFAP was established in 1943 by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), and began surveying hospitals in 1945.
In the mid-1960s the United States Congress decided that accredited hospitals would meet conditions set for participation, and thus automatically participated in newly established Medicare and Medicaid programs.
[5] In 2015, ownership of HFAP moved from the AOA to the Accreditation Association for Hospitals/Health Systems (AAHHS).