OBJECTIVES: Patient safety (PS) is a serious public health issue worldwide. Estimates show that 1 in 10 patients are harmed while receiving hospital care due to errors or adverse events. Although literature is controversial on the impact of hospital accreditation (HA) on quality-of-care issues, it continues to grow globally. The objective of this study is to conduct an overview of the HA process in Brazil and evaluate how it can contribute to patient safety measures in the country.  METHODS: We assessed the organizations that accredit health institutions in Brazil to analyze how the process is conducted and which hospitals are accredited in the country. We also collected data on Brazilian hospitals from the Ministry of Health (MoH), Brazilian Federation of Hospitals (FBH) and National Health Confederation (CNS). Additionally, a literature review was performed in Medline and SciELO databases using mesh terms “patient safety” and “accreditation”, among others. RESULTS: In Brazil, the main accrediting organizations are the National Accreditation Organization (ONA) and the Joint Commission International (JCI). According to CNS data (November/2015), Brazil has 6,687 hospitals (30% public and 70% private) of which 540 (about 8%) have accreditation. This contrasts with over 90% accreditation rates in US and over 80% in Canada. ONA accredited 487 Brazilian hospitals, 70% of them located on the Southeast Region (SER) of the country and JCI accredited 53 institutions (75% on the SER). Literature review and further data will be presented on the poster. CONCLUSIONS: In Brazil, there is no law, nor encouragement by governments or health care providers requiring health institutions to seek accreditation. The overwhelming majority of accredited hospitals are concentrated in the SER, the most economically developed region of the country. Application of accreditation standards may contribute to the improvement of PS and reduction of medical errors by raising the standard of quality.