The Accreditation Decision Committee (ADC) is the independent governance body responsible for making all final accreditation decisions on behalf of Accréditation Sans Frontières (ASF). The ADC operates under ASF-OPS-001 (Accreditation Decision Framework) and is constitutionally separate from the survey function. No member of the ADC may have participated as a surveyor in the assessment of any facility whose accreditation the ADC is deciding.
Impartiality guarantee: ASF maintains a strict structural separation between its survey team (who assess facilities) and its Accreditation Decision Committee (who make binding decisions). The four ADC members listed below do not conduct surveys. The six surveyors listed in the ASF Surveyor Register do not sit on the ADC. This separation is permanent and structural — not managed case-by-case — and is documented in ASF-GOV-003 (Impartiality Policy).
ADC Members
| Name | Credentials | ADC Role | Basis for appointment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giorgi Pkhakadze | MD, MPH, PhD | ADC Chair | Founder and President, ASF; Chair, Public Health Institute of Georgia; Professor, David Tvildiani Medical University. Holds final decision authority for all accreditation outcomes. Does not conduct field surveys. |
| Ioseb Demetrashvili | Administration & Management | Member — Patient Voice | Head of Administration, ASF and PHIG. Represents patient and public interest on the ADC. Does not conduct field surveys. |
| Irina Datashvili | Media & Communications | Member — Public Interest | Head of Media and Communications, PHIG; Deputy Editor-in-Chief, GMJ Newsroom. Represents transparency and public accountability. Does not conduct field surveys. |
| Tamar Talakvadze | Quality Management, DPO | Member — Quality & Integrity | Quality lead, Data Protection Officer and Research Integrity Officer, PHIG. Ensures ADC decisions are consistent with ASF quality standards and ethical obligations. Does not conduct field surveys. |
| Tariel Todua | Hospital Management; Head of Laboratory, Evex Medical Corporation | Member — Clinical & Laboratory Expert | Former director of multiple hospitals; currently Head of Laboratory at Evex Medical Corporation, Georgia’s largest private healthcare provider. Brings operational clinical governance and laboratory expertise to ADC decisions. Does not conduct field surveys. |
ADC Mandate and Operating Rules
- The ADC meets within 30 calendar days of receiving a completed survey report from the QMS Coordinator.
- Quorum is three members, including the Chair or a member acting as Chair.
- Decisions are by consensus; where consensus cannot be reached, the Chair holds the casting vote.
- The ADC may issue one of four outcomes: Accreditation, Conditional Accreditation, Recognition Award, or Non-Accreditation, in line with ASF-OPS-001.
- The ADC decision is communicated in writing to the facility within 10 working days of the decision meeting.
- Any ADC member with a conflict of interest in respect of a specific facility must recuse themselves from that decision; a three-member quorum is still required.
- All ADC meeting records are retained by the QMS Coordinator as part of the ASF quality management system.
Separation of Functions — Full Team Overview
The table below shows how all ten ASF team members are allocated across the three core accreditation functions, ensuring structural independence at every stage of the accreditation process.
| Name | Credentials / Role | Standards Committee | Survey Team | ADC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giorgi Pkhakadze | MD, MPH, PhD — President, ASF | — | — | Chair |
| Ioseb Demetrashvili | Head of Administration | — | — | Member |
| Irina Datashvili | Head of Media & Communications | — | — | Member |
| Tamar Talakvadze | Quality & Integrity Officer | — | — | Member |
| Tariel Todua | Hospital Management & Laboratory Expert | Member | — | Member |
| Sulkhan Inaishvili | MD, PhD, Assoc. Prof. | Chair | Lead Surveyor | — |
| Irakli Apshinashvili | Public Health Operations | Member | Lead Surveyor | — |
| Irina Pkhakadze | MPH — Health Education | — | Lead Surveyor | — |
| Ani Bolkvadze | MD, MPH — Methodology & Evidence | Member | Associate | — |
| Tamar Kravishvili | Clinical Quality Specialist | — | Associate | — |
| Tamar Varshalomidze | Healthcare Manager | — | Associate | — |