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The accreditation site survey includes a comprehensive review of all aspects of the organizational legal entity, or sub-unit of a legal entity, seeking accreditation. When the organization seeking accreditation has a close interrelationship with a separate related patient care entity or service, the survey will include a review of the components outside the boundaries of the legal entity or entity sub-unit seeking accreditation if: 1) there are Accreditation Association standards applicable to the related entity or service, and 2) the related entity or service is organizationally and functionally integrated with the applicant organization, and/or 3) the related entity or service is represented or reasonably appears to the public as being part of the applicant organization.

In cases where items 1 and 2 or 1 and 3 above are not met, but there is sufficient relatedness between the services and the applicant organization to suggest that the service or related entity functions as part of the applicant organization or reasonably appears to, both the applicant organization and the service or related entity will be included in the survey process.

For example, a surgery center organized as a distinct legal entity is surveyed to assess compliance with the Accreditation Association standards. The survey will normally include a review of components of a separate, but related, medical practice (e.g., corresponding clinical records, shared space or resources, etc.) to provide relevant information to determine compliance with the standards. However, any accreditation decision conferred will be solely on the legal entity seeking accreditation even though (an)other related entity(ies) was included in the survey review process.

Although in general the Accreditation Association surveys and accredits a single legal entity, it will review a sub-unit of a survey-eligible legal entity when the sub-unit exhibits autonomous characteristics and demonstrates a capability of meeting the Accreditation Association standards on its own. Organizational integration* exists when the applicant organization's governing body, either directly or ultimately, controls the budgetary and resource allocation decisions for the related entity or service. Where separate corporate entities are involved, organizational integration also exists when there is greater than 50% of the same governing body membership on the board of the applicant organization and the board of the other entity.

Functional integration* exists when the entity meets four of the following criteria, including either criterion 1 or 2:

*  Organizational and functional integration refers to the degree to which the service or related entity is overseen and managed by the applicant organization.