Kudos to the three national accrediting bodies, Council on Accreditation (COA), CARF International and The Joint Commission! They all seamlessly kept pace with challenges faced by providers seeking accreditation while continuing to deliver on standards of excellence within their field.

In addition to changes made to facilitate a more seamless virtual survey/site visit process, each announced notable developments this year:

Announced a potential merger with the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities. While the members of the Alliance still need to vote on the proposed merger, both COA and the Alliance continue to be forthcoming and transparent with information as it develops.

CARF International:

CARF International and the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) launched the ASAM Level of Care Certification nationwide. Use of The ASAM Criteria, the most widely used and comprehensive set of guidelines for addiction treatment, improves patient outcomes by establishing a continuum of care that reflects the modern understanding of addiction as a chronic disease.

To better reflect Joint Commission accredited organizations providing social services in community settings, services for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities and foster care for children and adolescents, the name of The Joint Commission’s behavioral health care accreditation program was changed to Behavioral Health Care and Human Services accreditation program. Additionally, new and revised requirements for child welfare services and language changes to standards were implemented.