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PHOENIX — Maricopa County jails are no longer accredited by a national health commission because the facilities failed to meet federal standards for care and county officials provided incorrect information to the accrediting agency, officials said.

The National Commission on Correctional Health Care sent Maricopa County administrators a letter late last week notifying them the group was pulling its accreditation of the county's jail system.

Betty Adams, director of the county's Correctional Health Services, has filed an appeal with the national accrediting organization, asking the group to reconsider its opinion that county inmates are receiving poor access to health care.

Jails managed by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio can remain accredited through the appeals process.

Accreditation is state-mandated and helps the county defend itself against lawsuits brought against the system by inmates.

The accreditation provides guidelines that Correctional Health Services' employees can use to guarantee they are providing quality care to inmates.

When inspectors are looking into the well-being of inmates, they generally review medical charts for completeness, make sure prescriptions are property accounted for, that physicians signed orders and that inmates received timely and adequate treatment.

Adams said she stands by the quality of care provided to inmates, saying it exceeds constitutionally mandated minimums.

"We don't just provide civil-rights level of care, we provide good care," she said.

The commission notification cited testimony and interviews in a federal court case that an inmate brought against the county among the reasons for the accreditation denial.

The commission's findings indicate county representatives provided inaccurate information about compliance in the jails.

Sandi Wilson, deputy county manager, said a loss of accreditation is serious and could affect the county's liability and lawsuits.

"If someone's suing you over care, you want to be accredited," she said. "They have standards they have to meet to ensure they're getting good quality of care. We want to be accredited."

In a letter last week, commission officials said they notified Arpaio of the accreditation status. The Sheriff's Office declined to comment, saying inmate-health-related matters were under the jurisdiction of Correctional Health Services.

Administrators with the Commission on Correctional Healthcare did not return phone calls for comment on Tuesday.