HaroldUrman
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Sep 30, 2009, 8:55 AM
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Looking for Quality: What Does CARF-CCAC Accreditation Mean for You?
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By Harold Urman Ph.D.
As you go about searching for retirement communities you may notice that some of the Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC) indicate that that they have CCAC accreditation. What does this mean and how can it assist you in selecting the right community for yourself or your loved one?
The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and Continuing Care Accreditation Commission (CCAC) provide accreditation services to CCRCs. Accreditation ensures communities meet the rigorous standards of CARF and, most importantly, are focused on delivering the highest quality services to its consumers.
The CARF-CCAC guidelines for service and quality are made up of nationally and internationally recognized standards and focus on delivering the most positive outcomes for consumers. In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that there were 4,466 CCRCs in the United States. Of those, there are currently more than 340 CARF-CCAC accredited continuing care retirement communities in the United States.
What are CARF-CCAC accreditation standards?
The CARF-CCAC standards focus specifically on aging services and were developed around a framework called ASPIRE to Excellence®. This framework guides communities through a process of reviewing and improving their services.
The ASPIRE to Excellence framework has six categories:
1. Assessing the environment
2. Strategy development
3. Persons served -- stakeholder input
4. Implementing the plan, processes and programs for the person served
5. Reviewing results
6. Evaluating results and progress of your strategy
Using the ASPIRE to Excellence framework and the CARF-CCAC accreditation standards, communities can continuously improve their service by measuring their performance with regards to consumer satisfaction and access, effectiveness and efficiency of their services. Focusing on quality improvement means that providers consult with you about your satisfaction with their services; include you in service planning in order to best meet your individualized needs and preferences; respond positively to your questions and concerns; and provide services that reflect a consumer-focused mission and vision.
What is the process for receiving accreditation?
To earn accreditation, communities must show that they meet or exceed the CARF-CCAC standards. Communities go through seven steps to receive their accreditation including
. Conducting a self-evaluation to measure conformance with standards, and
. Participating in a CARF-CCAC survey team evaluation (made up of observation of services, interviews with stakeholders, and a review of documentation).
Once CARF-CCAC has reviewed the survey findings and awarded either a five-year, three-year, one-year, or provisional accreditation (or decided not to award a certificate of accreditation), the community is then responsible for
. Submitting a Quality Improvement Plan in response to any recommendations made as a results of the survey team evaluation, and
. Submitting an Annual Conformance to Quality Report describing the community’s ongoing commitment and conformance to CARF-CCAC standards.
CARF-CCAC maintains contact with accredited communities through website news and information, publications and educational tools, and seminars and conferences.
Why is CARF-CCAC accreditation important to you?
CARF-CCAC accreditation can be thought of as a mark of quality. It means that the community demonstrates innovative problem solving and is committed to continuous quality improvement in the services they provide to older adults. Accreditation is also a sign of integrity, requiring self-improvement in addition to guidance from an external and independent accreditation organization. Accreditation is an objective way to evaluate and compare the growing list of senior living options available to consumers. CARF-CCAC accreditation serves as a standard for comparison when choosing a provider.
However, if a community is not CARF-CCAC accredited it does not mean the service quality is lower. It only means that the community has not been reviewed by an independent organization for quality. Accreditation is not required, so any community can decide whether they want to take the steps required to receive a certificate of accreditation.
Where can you find more information?
The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities website provides useful information for consumers about the accreditation process as well as information about how to select a community. Visit the CARF Consumer website for consumer services. If you are looking for a CARF-CCAC accredited continuing care retirement community in your area, you can use the CARF Search Tool.
Harold N. Urman, Ph.D. is an educational psychologist and co-founder of Vital Research, a consulting firm specializing in research and evaluation. Established in 1982 and based in Los Angeles, Vital Research is a national research and consulting firm with expertise in senior living services satisfaction measurement.
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(This post was edited by HaroldUrman on Oct 6, 2009, 12:34 PM)
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