CARF discloses accreditation information to the public
Information release began in July
CARF...The Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission has begun releasing to the public information about rehab providers who have gone through the accreditation survey process. CARF, with headquarters in Tucson, AZ, is making the information available to those who request it in writing. CARF will provide the information free in hard-copy form only.
"It's part of the Quality and Accountability Initiative begun in 1995 as part of our strategic planning process," says Chris MacDonell, national director for medical rehabilitation programs.
In the past, CARF released information to callers about organizations' accreditation status, what programs were accredited, and the expiration dates, MacDonell says. Beginning with organizations accredited after July 1, 1998, the survey report summary CARF releases to the public will include a description of the organization, the programs accredited, a profile of the population served, accreditation outcome and expiration date, and a summary of the results. Other information will include tables showing how the organization conforms to CARF standards in comparison to all other surveyed organizations in the same category, the number and percentage of standards in conformance, and the organization's verbatim response to the summary. (For examples of a survey report, see pp. 114-117.)
Organizations seeking accreditation must sign a consent form in their application for a survey. They will have a chance to respond to the survey and review what will be released to the public. The disclosure is beginning with the medical rehabilitation organizations accredited by CARF. Behavioral health and adult day services will be phased in beginning in 1999. Survey information on employment and community services organizations will be made public in 2000.
CARF's new public information policy goes along with the new medical rehabilitation standards that also went into effect in July. The standards stress disclosure of information to individual patients, MacDonell says. "CARF, as an organization, will be releasing more information to the public. At the same time, our new standards require accredited programs to give out information on program performance."
The new public disclosure policy should enhance the value of the accreditation process, she says. "A person who is considering going through a CARF-accredited rehabilitation program will know that the program has demonstrated improvement and results with patients who have their same diagnosis."
The new policy will make more information available to purchasers, consumers, and the public to help them make decisions about where to receive their health care, MacDonell says. "Our board supports this quality accountability initiative. We are making sure that we are a value-added service, that accreditation isn't just something people do for the sake of doing it."
Similar disclosures are being touted as part of the patient bill of rights, currently being considered by Congress. At least one version of that bill requires providers to give consumers accurate and easily understood information to assist them in making informed decisions. "If providers in the future are required to make such disclosures, CARF-accredited organizations will have a head start," MacDonell adds.
[For more on CARF, call (520) 325-1044 or visit the organization's Web site at http://www.carf.org.]
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