SNQ (Symbol of National Quality) is an evidence-based mark that sets trusted quality and safety standards for medical, biomedical, health and animal-care services and products. A certified item has had its quality confirmed by a multidisciplinary panel against published criteria.
Certification covers four areas -- medical services, biomedical products, health products, and animal-care services and products -- divided into groups such as hospitals, nursing care, long-term care, public and community services, medicines, traditional Chinese medicines, smart health technology, medical devices, clinical support products, nutritional supplements, aging health, epidemic prevention, and cosmetics. Each group has its own guide and assessment criteria.
Certification and renewal run on an annual cycle: online applications open from May to July, all documents must be submitted by 31 July (late submissions are not accepted), review runs from August to November, and results are announced in December.
The review comprises an administrative check, a documentary review, a presentation review, an on-site review and a final panel meeting, carried out by a multidisciplinary review panel against each group's assessment criteria.
Certified organizations sign the SNQ Mark License Agreement, valid for one year, during which they may use the SNQ mark in their communications. A renewal application must be filed before the license expires, between July and September of the following year.
Certified services and products are listed on the Certified Products and Services page, filterable by category and keyword; certified organizations are on the Certified Organizations page. Past National Biotechnology & Medical Care Quality Award winners are listed on the Award Winners page.
SNQ partners with ICHOM (the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement) to build a quality framework for value-based care around patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), and with NSF (the National Sanitation Foundation) on health products, pairing third-party verification with international standards for ingredient safety, consistency and labeling.
SNQ is organized by the Research Center for Biotechnology and Medicine Policy and operated by Broadway International Standards Co., Ltd.
