Summary excerpt from the Statement of Partnership for Human Research Protections: The Partnership for Human Research Protection, Inc. (PHRP) is a collaboration between the two most trusted names in health care quality and safety – the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). PHRP offers accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs for organizations that conduct research and for independent review boards that review but do not conduct human research. PHRP supports organizations in their medical research efforts by guiding them in effectively protecting the human subjects who participate in these studies. The JCAHO and NCQA collaboration provides a uniform national set of standards that complement regulatory efforts and minimize the need for additional government oversight or resources. Furthermore, the accreditation program focuses on best practices and continuous improvement, rather than compliance with minimum standards, thus ensuring that protection programs become as good as they can be, rather than merely as good as they are required to be.