Respected Process
Meaningful Standards
Why ANSI Matters to ACHENA
Standards hold greater significance when an independent, nationally and internationally recognized organization oversees the creation and coordination of voluntary consensus standards. This is why ACHENA made the decision to pursue recognition by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as an accredited standards developer.
What is ANSI?
Founded in 1918, ANSI is a private, nonprofit organization that oversees the voluntary standards system in the United States.
1,400+
direct members organization
234
ANSI-accredited standard developers representing products, services & systems
ANSI does not write standards. It accredits the organizations that do, by reviewing their procedures for fairness and transparency. These procedures, specified in ANSI’s Essential Requirements, are built on:
Openness
People affected by a standard tak part in developing it
Balance
No single interest group dominates the process
Consensus
Decisions reflect substantial agreement, reached through a fair vote
Due process
Written procedures, consideration of every view, right to appeal
ANSI accreditation applies to how standards are developed. It does not apply to the content of the standards, nor to the schools that abide by them.
Why this matters to homeopathic education
Standards provide guidance and set meaningful benchmarks for students, schools, practitioners, licensing boards, credentialing agencies and the public. Each need to know that standards are fair, consistent and developed by the community in which they exist.
ACHENA, when recognized as an ANSI-accredited standards developer, will align with ANSI’s principles and commit to:
- Including voices from across the homeopathic community, through a Standards Development Council and multiple Standards Review Panels.
- Following written procedures that are publicly available.
- Making decisions through clear, fair processes.
- Offering an appeals process.