Each year, markets demand higher standards of quality in each product or service they invest in. The questions that then arise are: how can consumers be assured of this quality they’re demanding, before committing to a specific provider? And how can one determine the security of an organization before committing to a partnership? In the healthcare industry, one answer is the CARF Accreditation.
What is CARF?
The CARF accreditation assures a commitment to the highest level of quality and service and is proven to be a key motivator for all stakeholders in the healthcare sector.
Per their website, the Commission of Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) is “an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services in the following areas: aging services, behavioral health, child and youth services, employment and community services, vision rehabilitation services, medical rehabilitation, and opioid treatment programs.”
CARF accredits over 60,000 programs worldwide, which, in addition to demonstrating solid business practices, also enjoy: fiscal savings, a marketing advantage, risk management, and access to an international network.
DTT Coaching’s Experience
With the goal to be the premier choice for Behavioral Health Services in South Florida, DTT Coaching took on the challenge of becoming a CARF accredited organization in early 2019 after looking into a few different accreditations available for their field.
The first step towards accreditation was to purchase the CARF manual, running you through all of the standards required of your company.
“What a challenge!”, said Damarys Clement, Director of DTT Coaching Services. We realized we needed help when we first received those 600-page manuals, and that’s when we turned to EPIC Consultants – a company we had done good work with before and we knew we could rely on.”
As the management system is implemented, all policies and procedures are reviewed, documented, and controlled. Performance measurements are monitored for continuous improvement and decisions are based on evidence. This proved to be one of the biggest challenges DTT experienced throughout this journey — balancing the day-to-day of the company with the time and effort needed to implement all of the documents and processes CARF requires.
“EPIC helped us navigate the rigorous path to implement a robust management system. The whole idea of receiving feedback and having the EPIC consultants overlooking this project was the most important investment in this process towards our CARF accreditation.”
Damarys Clement, Director of DTT Coaching.
“A big lesson learned was not just the concept of continuous self-monitoring, but also, realizing how much work still needs to be done in order to effectively imbed this practice into our culture,”
Damarys expressed, “This was the most important lesson that the EPIC consultants helped us learn and overcome.”
Once the system is implemented, CARF surveyors perform a 2-day audit to ensure compliance with all the requirements.
DTT Coaching was awarded a 3-year accreditation, a rather long term to be received right off the bat as a first time CARF accreditation applicant and a confirmation of the robustness of its system.
Damarys is confident that the CARF accreditation will open doors to more contract opportunities, as well as, facilitate the way through other auditing processes.
“The CARF certification is essentially a certification of quality. Organizations with the accreditation must prove, and continuously hold, the high standards of quality improvement and dedication to patients, and we are definitely committed to that.”
We congratulate DTT Coaching Services’ team for the amazing achievement and we look forward to hearing about your next accomplishments!
