# Why are psychiatric hospital accreditation records separate?

> A psychiatric hospital accreditation dataset covers its stated institution category, so its records must be read within that category.

The KOIHA public-data description identifies a psychiatric-hospital accreditation dataset. Its separate title tells you the population covered, not the clinical outcome for an individual patient.

Written by the Pyojiilgi Care Quality Study Group editorial team on October 29, 2026. Canonical address: https://accreditedhospitalguide.org/articles/psychiatric-hospitals.

## What does psychiatric hospital accreditation data cover?

The public-data description identifies psychiatric hospitals and lists institution-level accreditation fields.

A dataset title is part of its scope. Before looking for a particular institution, read whether the source covers psychiatric hospitals, another hospital type or a wider set. A record that belongs to a particular category cannot establish that every service with a mental-health-related name is included.

The title and description also identify the unit of the record as a medical institution. They do not turn the record into a clinician register or a directory of every individual treatment. Keep the category, the unit being described and the fields supplied together when deciding what question the source can answer.

The source is published by KOIHA through the Public Data Portal. Retaining both the provider and dataset title helps distinguish this institution-level collection from another dataset whose name also mentions psychiatric services.

## Which fields identify a psychiatric hospital accreditation record?

Compare the institution name, type, address and certificate number before reading its grade and dates.

The source description lists the institution name, type, address, grade, cycle, certificate number, start date and end date. Identity fields help establish which institution and award a record describes. A shared name or similar English spelling does not replace the address and certificate information.

A cycle describes the accreditation framework attached to the record. The certificate dates describe the period for that award. Keep both as their own fields: a cycle name should not be used as an invented starting date, and the year when a data page was modified should not replace an institution’s certification date.

Certificate identifiers and hospital identity fields have different roles. An identifier points to an award record; a name and address identify the institution. Neither should be silently replaced with a portal row number from an unrelated source.

**Fields described by the original source**

| Field group | Fields | Reading purpose |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Identity | Name, type, address | Match the institution |
| Award | Grade, cycle, certificate number | Match the assessment record |
| Period | Start and end date | Read the stated term |

## Is psychiatric hospital accreditation the same as every psychiatric assessment?

KOIHA’s navigation separates accreditation and psychiatric assessment; read the scheme name on the record.

The existence of two navigation categories is a reason to identify the scheme precisely. A result labelled accreditation should be read using accreditation fields and rules. A notice from another assessment should retain that notice’s own name and scope rather than being relabelled as an accreditation certificate.

This distinction can be checked without making a judgment about a provider. Retain the title of the notice, issuing body, institution and result date. If those details do not establish which procedure was used, the appropriate question for the issuer is the identity of the assessment, not a request to guess a replacement grade.

A menu label helps identify a scheme but does not supply the content of an institution’s result. Follow the relevant record and retain its stated assessment title, rather than inferring findings from its placement in navigation.

## How are psychiatric hospital accreditation grades and dates interpreted?

Use the Medical Service Act’s three accreditation grades and the institution’s stated certificate period.

Article 58-3 distinguishes accredited, conditionally accredited and not accredited. Accreditation has a four-year term and conditional accreditation a one-year term. The general rule explains the grade’s duration but does not establish the current result of a specific psychiatric hospital whose record has not been matched.

Dates should be attached to the award that produced them. If an institution has a later reassessment, the later record needs its own identity and result check. Adding a standard interval to an old date cannot show whether the institution was reassessed, changed type or became subject to a status-changing decision.

The general grades also require attention to later decisions. A current comparison should not stop at a certificate’s original duration if the issuer has a subsequent result concerning the same institution and award.

## What does a missing psychiatric hospital accreditation record mean?

Check category, name, location and the scope of the search before drawing any conclusion about the institution.

A search can fail to resolve a record because the search scope and the institution identity have not yet been matched. Check whether the name entered is a brand name, a legal institution name or a branch label. A discrepancy should remain a discrepancy until the source identifies the same institution.

The data description can tell you which fields the source intends to provide even when you have not obtained the institution’s actual row. Described fields and retrieved values are different kinds of evidence. When no matched row is available, the responsible response is to seek the official record rather than populate the fields from another similarly named institution.

An absent row and an absent value within a matched row are separate conditions. The first concerns the match; the second concerns a field the source did not supply. Keep the unresolved question specific in both cases.

## Does psychiatric hospital accreditation establish opening permission?

Opening permission is governed by Article 33, while accreditation is assessed under Articles 58 onward.

Psychiatric hospitals appear among the hospital-level categories in Article 33(4). Accreditation has a separate statutory purpose, assessing healthcare quality and patient-safety standards. To resolve an opening-permission question, use the opening record and competent authority rather than treating an accreditation field as the opening decision.

Likewise, the presence of a specialist or another professional qualification should be read for the person and specialty it concerns. Institution identity, the opening procedure and accreditation address separate questions. Keeping these items apart makes it possible to ask the authority about the specific record that remains unclear.

The permission question concerns the institution’s establishment and competent opening authority. The accreditation question concerns the standards assessment. Reading both records does not require treating them as a single combined decision.

## Which route should be used for psychiatric hospital accreditation checks?

Use KOIHA’s accreditation-status search and the psychiatric dataset description for its published scope.

The institution-status search lets the reader choose the relevant category. Match the full name and location, then read the grade and stated dates. If the certificate number is available, retain it with the result so that the issuer can identify which award is being discussed when clarification is needed.

Record the source and checking date alongside the result. This gives an older notice a clear time reference without claiming that it remains the latest decision. Questions about later changes, unclear periods or an unidentified branch belong with the official issuer or competent opening authority, depending on which document is at issue.

The public-data specification can guide a follow-up request by naming the expected fields. State which institution and field remain unresolved instead of requesting a general assurance about the hospital from a dataset description.

**Question and appropriate record**

| Question | Record |
| --- | --- |
| Which institution is it? | Full name, type and location |
| Which accreditation applies? | Certificate number, grade and dates |
| Was opening permitted? | Opening permission record |

## What else do people ask about psychiatric hospital accreditation?

### Does psychiatric hospital accreditation cover all mental-health services?

Read the institution category stated by the source.

### Can a modification date replace a certificate date?

The data-page date and the institution award period describe different events.

### Are the records about individual clinicians?

The source describes institution-level fields.

### Where are grades defined?

Article 58-3 of the Medical Service Act defines the three grades.

### Does a missing row show illegality?

A missing match does not establish opening or accreditation status.

## What should you read next?

- [Is Korean hospital accreditation a licence to operate?](https://accreditedhospitalguide.org/articles/accreditation-vs-license)
- [What does conditional hospital accreditation mean?](https://accreditedhospitalguide.org/articles/conditional-accreditation)
- [Korea hospital accreditation badge reader](https://accreditedhospitalguide.org/tools/badge-reader)
- [Korea accreditation records by institution type](https://accreditedhospitalguide.org/statistics/accreditation-by-type)

## Where do these numbers come from?

- [Medical Service Act](https://www.law.go.kr/LSW/lsInfoP.do?lsiSeq=290667) - National Law Information Center
- [Official accreditation status search](https://www.koiha.or.kr/web/kr/assessment/accStatus.do) - Korea Institute for Healthcare Accreditation
- [Psychiatric hospital accreditation API metadata](https://www.data.go.kr/data/15165340/openapi.do) - KOIHA / Public Data Portal
- [Accreditation results and grades](https://www.koiha.or.kr/web/kr/assessment/accResult.do) - Korea Institute for Healthcare Accreditation