National Association of Epilepsy Centers

What National Association of Epilepsy Centers does

The National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit professional association founded in 1987 and headquartered in Glen Echo, Maryland. It is the U.S. standard-setting body for specialized epilepsy care, accrediting more than 300 member centers across 44 states. NAEC defines a four-tier framework of epilepsy care delivery and accredits Level 3 and Level 4 centers against 40+ criteria covering clinical staffing, EEG and video-EEG monitoring capability, surgical services, and outcomes reporting.

The organization's core products are accreditation services and clinical practice guidelines, most recently the 2024 NAEC Guidelines containing 52 recommendations. Its operational model is membership-based: accredited centers pay approximately $2,000 per year in dues, supplemented by partnership-sponsored programs and accreditation-related fees. Governance is led by practicing physicians, with Fred Lado, MD, PhD serving as President. NAEC coordinates a deep partner ecosystem that includes the American Epilepsy Society (AES), American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS), American Academy of Neurology (AAN), Epilepsy Foundation, CDC Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) Network, ABRET, VA Epilepsy Centers of Excellence, and ASET, and it played a contributing role in the July 2024 CMS approval of a new F6 physician specialty code for epileptologists.

Name

National Association of Epilepsy Centers

Legal name

National Association of Epilepsy Centers

Website

https://naec-epilepsy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The National Association of Epilepsy Centers is a 501(c)(6) professional association founded in 1987 that accredits 300+ specialized epilepsy care centers across 44 U.S. states, setting clinical standards and guidelines for Level 3 and Level 4 epilepsy care delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Accreditation Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Programmatic Accreditors (Discipline/Profession-Specific) (EDADACAC)

Keywords

• Epilepsy center accreditation
• Healthcare quality standards
• Professional medical association
• Specialty care accreditation
• Epilepsy care guidelines

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: NAEC generates revenue primarily through annual membership dues from specialized epilepsy centers. The dues are $2,000 per year per center, covering the calendar year from January 1 to December 31. These dues fund NAEC's advocacy, guideline development, accreditation programs, and member resources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NAEC is a non-profit professional association that accredits Level 3 and Level 4 specialized epilepsy centers in the United States based on more than 40 criteria demonstrating multidisciplinary capabilities. It publishes clinical guidelines (52 recommendations in the 2024 update) that set the standard of care for high-quality epilepsy centers, and supports accredited member centers through advocacy, coding and reimbursement resources, and a public Find a Center directory.

Product overview

NAEC is a non-profit association that provides a unified portfolio of products centered on epilepsy center accreditation and quality standards. The core offerings include the NAEC Epilepsy Center Accreditation Program (for Level 3 and Level 4 specialized centers), the Guidelines for Specialized Epilepsy Centers (with 52 evidence-based recommendations), and the Find a Center Directory connecting patients with accredited facilities. Supporting products include membership services, resources for epilepsy centers (coding/reimbursement guidance, webinars), patient education materials, EMU Caring (continuing medical education), and ABRET LAB-LTM recognition for epilepsy monitoring units. Together, these products promote quality and access in epilepsy care by setting standards, accrediting centers, and providing resources to both providers and patients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NAEC Epilepsy Center Accreditation Program Accreditation program evaluating Level 3 and Level 4 specialized epilepsy centers against more than 40 criteria demonstrating they have a multi-disciplinary team of clinicians with special training in epilepsy and provide comprehensive services. The accreditation cycle runs annually from November through March 1.
• NAEC Annual Membership Annual membership for specialized epilepsy centers providing advocacy support, access to best practices and standards of care, eligibility for Level 3 or Level 4 accreditation review, and inclusion in member resources. Annual dues are $2,000 per center for the calendar year (January 1 to December 31).
• Guidelines for Specialized Epilepsy Centers Evidence-based clinical guidelines spanning the range of services that should be part of high-quality epilepsy centers, including inpatient evaluation, therapeutic options, and outpatient chronic disease management. The 2024 publication contains 52 recommendations.
• Find a Center Directory

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 accredited member centers in 44 states providing specialized epilepsy care
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Epilepsy Society (AES)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024NAEC collaborates with AES on coding and reimbursement initiatives, including the new physician specialty code for epileptologists (F6) and long-term EEG coding changes. AES, NAEC, and ACNS jointly submitted the request to CMS for the new specialty code.
• American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024NAEC works with ACNS on neurophysiology-related standards and coding initiatives. ACNS joined NAEC and AES in the collaborative request to CMS for the new epileptologist specialty code.
• American Academy of Neurology (AAN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024NAEC partners with AAN on advocacy campaigns and policy initiatives, including efforts related to Medicare reimbursement rates and EEG coding changes.
• American Epilepsy Society (AES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAEC and AES co-developed educational materials on long-term EEG/VEEG coding changes, including webinars and coding guides for the 2020 CPT code restructuring.
• American Epilepsy Society (AES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAEC and AES jointly created EMU Caring, a free online continuing medical education series for epilepsy center staff. NAEC's accreditation criteria require at least 1 physician and 1 technician or nurse to complete this training.
• ABRET LAB-LTMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAEC recognizes ABRET LAB-LTM accreditation of epilepsy monitoring units. ABRET's Lab Accreditation process evaluates technical standards, quality of laboratory output, unit policies and management. NAEC maintains a list of NAEC centers that also hold ABRET accreditation.
• Epilepsy FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAEC partners with the Epilepsy Foundation on patient education initiatives including SUDEP awareness (#AimForZero campaign) and National Epilepsy Awareness Month activities.
• CDC Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAEC promotes CDC's MEW self-management programs including HOBSCOTCH, PACES, MINDSET, SMART, and UPLIFT to member centers and patients for epilepsy self-management support.
• VA Epilepsy Centers of Excellence (ECoE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAEC provides information about VA Epilepsy Centers of Excellence on its website. The VA ECoE is a network of 16 sites providing comprehensive epilepsy evaluation and care for Veterans. NAEC promotes their educational video series 'Veterans and Epilepsy: Basic Training.'
• ASET – The Neurodiagnostic SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAEC collaborated with ASET and other organizations (ACNS, AES, AAN) to develop guidance on re-opening epilepsy centers during COVID-19.
• HHS Office for Civil RightsminorOthersHHS OCR exercised enforcement discretion during COVID-19 to not impose HIPAA penalties on physicians using telehealth, benefiting NAEC member centers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Epilepsy Foundation: National patient-advocacy organization partnering with NAEC on SUDEP awareness and patient education. Comparable peer in the epilepsy ecosystem, focused on the patient side rather than provider accreditation.
• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP): Largest programmatic accreditor in the health sciences; directly comparable as a programmatic accreditor model NAEC's Level 3/4 epilepsy center accreditation resembles.
• Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME): Programmatic accreditor for medical residency and fellowship programs. Directly comparable as a programmatic, discipline-specific healthcare accreditor whose accreditation influences center operations and reimbursement.
• ABRET (Neurodiagnostic Credentialing and Accreditation): Neurodiagnostic credentialing body whose LAB-LTM EMU accreditation NAEC formally recognizes. Closely comparable as a programmatic accreditor for epilepsy monitoring unit technical standards.
• American Epilepsy Society: Sister professional society in epilepsy care. NAEC and AES co-develop guidelines, coding resources, and joint CME (e.g., EMU Caring), and jointly advocated for the F6 specialty code, making AES the closest peer in mission and member base.
• American Clinical Neurophysiology Society: Professional society for neurophysiology that co-authored the CMS request for the F6 epileptologist code with NAEC. Closely comparable in serving epileptologists and EEG-focused clinicians at member centers.

Broad incumbents

• URAC: Healthcare accreditation organization covering specialty programs and provider entities. Comparable as a programmatic accreditor serving defined healthcare niches, similar to NAEC's Level 3/4 epilepsy center accreditation.
• National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA): Independent healthcare accreditation body focused on quality measurement and provider/payer accreditation; relevant peer as a comparator for standards-based accreditation business models in U.S. healthcare.
• The Joint Commission: Largest U.S. healthcare facility accreditor; competes conceptually for hospital accreditation relevance and represents a potential alternative accreditation pathway that could erode NAEC's specialty-specific franchise.
• American Academy of Neurology: Large neurology professional society that collaborates with NAEC on advocacy and publishes the Neurology journal where NAEC's guidelines appear. Comparable as a specialty-society peer, though much broader in scope than epilepsy alone.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naec-epilepsy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Association of Epilepsy Centers