When behavioral health organizations apply for accreditation, it is to achieve credibility. It can be a requirement for licensing or contracting. To receive new approval from CARF, Council on Accreditation (COA), or Joint Commission, a behavioral health organization must operate for at least six months. They will get ready and prepare for the required survey, but they need to be prepared. Why?
Because behavioral health accreditation involves a process of organization, analysis, and communication, these practices take time, and many agencies wait until the last minute to put their operations in order. Therefore, they may pass the first time but have many implementation recommendations. Then with future surveys, they continue their procrastination into further surveys. The best approach for behavioral health accreditation with CARF, COA, or Joint Commission is to develop an ongoing preparation process.
To avoid procrastination, the organization obtaining its first behavioral health accreditation with CARF, COA, or Joint Commission must start the groundwork immediately once they apply. Three areas of planning are necessary. First, they should complete all its policies and procedures as quickly as possible, as we’ve covered before. These procedures should respond to the behavioral health accreditation standards and show the agency’s actions. But these are not only for the surveyors to read but also for the employees to familiarize themselves with the documents. Second, they gather daily documents to analyze and summarize their findings. For example, if an agency writes critical incident reports, reports are completed during the past several months. These documents need to be reviewed by the leaders to determine if significant problems occurred and whether the organization needs to change its operations. And finally, employees need to have training in specific topics the behavioral health accreditation agency requires. Most of these are common training topics, such as suicide prevention or behavior management, but some are new such as corporate compliance or quality improvement. And the organization needs to document the training courses to reflect employee attendance.
These activities can be done monthly from the first month and spaced over six months to avoid burnout. And working on them regularly allows the organization to live and breathe the behavioral health accreditation process with CARF, COA, or Joint Commission. It then does not become a chore (although it is extra work); it is a way for the organization to improve its operations and services.
Praxes Behavioral Health provides behavioral health accreditation for CARF, COA, or Joint Commission for organizations nationwide. For more information about our services, please contact us.
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PRAXES is a nationwide behavioral health software, consulting, and training company. No one in the behavioral health industry has a better reputation, and if you give us the chance, we’ll show you why! At PRAXES, our services improve the efficiency and structure of behavioral health agencies serving children and families nationwide. PRAXES brings over 45 years of administrative and clinical expertise. With more than 100 client companies nationwide, we offer the expertise to advance the quality of behavioral health services. We accomplish these goals through our new clinical decision software, our training of best practices, and helping companies meet regulatory standards. At PRAXES, we believe in being creative and fostering new ways to serve children and their families. Our vision is to empower the families our agencies serve with skills that not only improve their functioning, but help them to thrive in their everyday lives. When you give us the chance, you’ll be connected directly to our friendly staff, so you can expect immediate attention to your inquiry. So, don’t wait, call now!
Dan Thorne has unique perspectives on the field of mental health. As a clinician, he has had over 40 years of experience working with clients in the Southern California area. After obtaining his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Irvine, he worked with children in the Orange County Juvenile Hall. Here he honed his earliest techniques on at-risk children. After that, he obtained his Master’s degree in Counseling from California State University, Fullerton.
In the 1990’s, Dan turned his attention to the clinical and administrative side of behavioral health organizations. For three years, he was the Assistant Administrator of Starting Point, a chemical dependency facility in Costa Mesa, CA. In 2001, he took an opportunity to be the Director of Harbor View Community Services Center in Long Beach. When he arrived, the Center had only 80 clients and 13 staff. When he left, there were over 400 clients and 75 staff. Dan created several programs through their contract with the Los Angeles County Departments of Mental Health and Child and Family Services. Under his guidance, Harbor View became one of the leading providers of children’s services in Los Angeles County.
While improving the results of the client’s parents at the Center, Dan reflected on his experiences as a parent. His children themselves had special needs such as mental and intellectual challenges, and Dan knew the toll it takes on the parent. In order to help the child, the parent has to be healthy. From this concept, he created his parenting program. After years of refining it, teaching it to his staff at the Center, and then taking the results and comments from these efforts, he became the developer of the current PRAXES program. It is a culmination of Dan’s personal trials and tribulations as a parent along with empirical results and research of over 40 parenting programs.
Our vision at PRAXES is to advance the strength of parents and caregivers of children with special needs (mental health, intellectual, or physical) through education, support, and empowerment. Thus, they can live healthy and functional lives while caring for the child.
Apogee is a clinical decision software designed to help behavioral health practitioners with their treatment and patient engagement. It provides evidence-based and research-based components. Not only do they consist of elements from such practices as Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Seeking Safety, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Functional Behavior Analysis, but also the Intensive Models for Parents, Youth, and Children.
PRAXES has over 30 years of accreditation experience. We know what it takes to get your organization accredited. Whether it’s Joint Commission, CARF, or COA, our team can provide an evaluation of your current status and review the standards which need improvements. We will assist you with the policies, documentation, and training required to be accredited.
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