Currently, India faces a wide gap between the demand for, and supply of, healthcare services. With private/voluntary sector participation in healthcare increasing and health insurance gaining in popularity, the healthcare industry in the country is undergoing a transformation. This transformation is likely to usher in a healthcare market that is starkly different from what we see today. The emerging picture calls for enhancements in quality and productivity, among other things. Keeping such changes in view, ICRA has developed a unique methodology for Grading healthcare institutions. ICRA’s Healthcare Grading serves as an objective indicator, and is a symbolic representation, of an institution’s capability to deliver quality care.

ICRA’s Healthcare Grading is designed to evaluate the two most important dimensions of care, viz. technical and interpersonal care. A healthcare institution with a higher Grading would have relatively better care infrastructure and processes than those Graded lower. While evaluating a healthcare institution ICRA looks into a host of factors such as availability of infrastructure, equipment, manpower, systems and clinical algorithms, all from the user’s point of view. The evaluation of these core factors involves a review of the institution’s resources, processes and outcome to determine its capability to deliver care. The focus of the evaluation is on the quantitative adequacy (number), technical adequacy (type) and availability (distribution) of core resources. Additionally, the methodology involves incorporating the feedback of facility users to capture the quality of the interpersonal aspects of care.

ICRA’s Healthcare Grading is designed to benefit both the provider and the user in the following ways: