Because standards are important when it comes health care, there are parallel issues around medical tourism, international healthcare accreditation, evidence-based medicine and quality assurance.
The oldest international accrediting body is Accreditation Canada, formerly known as the Canadian Council on Health Service Accreditation, which accredited the Bermuda Hospital Board as soon as 1968. Since then, it has accredited hospitals and health service organizations in ten other countries.
In the United States, the best known accreditation group is the Joint Commission International (JCI). They have been inspecting and accrediting health care facilities and hospitals outside of the United States since 1999. Many international hospitals today see obtaining international accreditation as a way to attract American patients.