About Accreditation Consulting Group (ACG)
Who We Are
Accreditation Consulting Group ( ACG) is a network of experienced CARF Surveyors who help prepare organizations for a successful accreditation outcome. ACG’s team of consultants have more than 300 years of combined CARF surveyor experience and specialize in almost all aspects of the CARF Standards. ACG consultants have a proven track record of helping organizations seeking CARF Accreditation meet the standards and achieve the highest level of accreditation.
It is our goal to ensure each organization we consult with is completely prepared for their accreditation survey cost effectively.
What Sets Us Apart
All of the ACG consultants are currently active as CARF surveyors with a minimum of 10 years’ experience, most with far more years of experience. Furthermore, all of our consultants have worked in the field and had the organizations they operated become CARF accredited. This provides our consultants with a unique understanding of the entire accreditation process – information we can then share with the organizations, such as yours, that we consult with. Furthermore, because we have conducted numerous CARF surveys, we know and understand the best methods to meeting the CARF standards. We have had a very successful history of working with organizations to achieve a three-year accreditation outcome, the highest level of achievement from a CARF survey.
Our Approach
It is our goal to ensure each organization we consult with is completely prepared for their accreditation survey. We will help to design systems within your operations that will not only meet the CARF standards, but also improve the efficiency of your organization. We can provide examples of how other organizations have met the standards and we will assist you in developing all the necessary policies, process and documentation in an easy to use manner. We understand the stress and strain of getting ready for an accreditation survey. As such, we will make every effort to make the preparation as unobtrusive as possible with your day to day obligations. In many cases, we can provide examples of plans and reports that enhance operations and meet CARF standards. All of our consultants are very aware of limitations of resources. As such, we seek to be affordable and efficient in our consulting approach.
Ethics
Because all of ACG’s consultants are actively working in the field, we have set high standards for our consultants. An ethics policy has been adopted which will be strictly adhered to throughout our consulting. This includes the confidentiality of your operations and the persons you serve, accuracy of our billing and the sharing of information.
How Consulting Works
Upon contacting ACG, we will enquire about your consulting needs, the size of your organization and your experience with accreditation. With that information, we will contact you to give you an idea of which services we may provide and the approximate cost of services. We will have a choice of which consult has the best background to help you. Depending on your needs, we may provide a mock CARF survey, a review of your readiness for accreditation and sample documents that will help you prepare. Many times we are asked the cost of consulting. Two major factors that are considerations regarding the cost of consulting are how ready a particular organization is for a CARF survey and how adept an organization is at taking examples of reports, plans, policies, etc. and implementing them for their operations. The number of hours of consultation needed for preparation of a CARF survey can range dramatically from just a few hours to 50 hours or more. It entirely depends upon the organization.
Value of Consulting
CARF accreditation is expensive. Many funders require accreditation. The survey outcomes can be a three-year accreditation, a one-year accreditation or non-accreditation. For organizations that have to be resurveyed more frequently than three years is costly and unproductive. Being prepared and successfully being accredited helps to ensure the quality of services and that those services are being provided in an efficient and effective manner. Many organization that have successfully been accredited report the value in day-to-day operations and improved services. Consulting for preparation of a CARF survey is the most cost effective means to go through the accreditation process. Some organization refer to the process as a CARF audit. However, The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities or CARF International refers to the process as a survey. This is because the process is consultative as all CARF surveyors are urged to consult with organization during the survey process, as well as applying the standards. This adds value to the accreditation process and gives a different perspective than an inspection or audit. The CARF standards are made up of the best practices in the industry and are meant to protect and help each accredited organization perform at its highest standard in the industry. Our consultants, having conducted cumulatively more than a thousand surveys bring that experience of the many ways to meet the CARF standards when consulting.
CARF Divisions ACG Consults In
Our consultant group has expertise in virtually all of CARF’s divisions: Employment and Community Services, Behavioral Health, Medical Rehabilitation, Child and Youth Services and Aging Services, Opioid Treatment and Vision Rehabilitation.