Author: carf-admin

Like any foreign language, CARF-ese can be challenging to learn. When you first crack open a CARF standards manual and read through those initial pages, you might feel a mix of frustration and hopelessness. Don’t worry—that’s a completely normal reaction! With a little practice and a few helpful tips, you’ll be speaking CARF-ese like a pro in no time. Here’s some expert advice from the CARF-ese linguists at Accreditation Consulting Group.

Step 1: Understand the Overall Intent
CARF standards are essentially directives that outline what accredited organizations should or shouldn’t be doing across a variety of topic areas. They are action-oriented and packed with verbs like “implements,” “demonstrates,” “guides,” or “addresses.” Often, they also reference specific documents that your organization should have, such as policies, procedures, or plans.
The key question to ask when interpreting any standard is: “What action are they asking us to take, or what document do we need to have?” To make this easier, check out Appendix A in the standards manual, which provides a handy list of required documents for successful accreditation.

Step 2: Decode the Structure
CARF standards have a consistent structure that makes them easier to navigate once you understand it. Each standard begins with a main statement, usually followed by subsections (and sometimes sub-subsections). These subsections expand on the main statement, providing the nitty-gritty details.
For example:

• If the main statement requires a policy or procedure, the subsections will usually specify what that policy or procedure should include.
• If the main statement is about actions your organization should take, the subsections will guide or prioritize those actions.
  Think of the main statement as the “big picture” and the subsections as the fine print that helps you implement it effectively.

Step 3: Answer the Big Question
Once you’ve decoded a standard, you should be able to answer the critical question: “Are we doing what the standard asks, or do we have the document it’s requesting?” Your answer will typically be:

• Yes: Great! Now double-check that you’re meeting all the requirements laid out in the standard.
• No: Time to get to work! Identify the gaps and start making necessary changes.

I don’t know: Dive deeper into the details or seek expert guidance.
Your answers to these questions will help you map out the work needed to achieve CARF accreditation.

Step 4: Leverage Built-In Resources
The standards manual is more than just a collection of rules—it’s also a resource. Pay close attention to the following helpful tools:

• Intent Statements: These provide additional context and clarify the purpose of each standard.

Examples: Many standards include examples of how to meet the requirements, offering practical, real-world guidance.
Using these tools can significantly ease your journey to CARF-ese fluency.

Fast-Track Your CARF-ese Mastery
If you want to speed up the process (and avoid common pitfalls), we’re here to help! At Accreditation Consulting Group, our CARF-ese experts can guide you through the nuances of the standards, saving you time and stress. Let us help you translate the language of CARF into clear, actionable steps for your organization.

In 2018, the Accreditation Consulting Group (ACG) is proud to announce that we worked with approximately 10% of all the organizations seeking their initial accreditation. All such organizations had a positive accreditation thus saving money by not requiring another survey in the following year and saving staff time/expense in efficiently preparing for the accreditation survey.  ACG worked with both large and very small providers across the various divisions of CARF.  Fees and services have been customized to meet the needs of the organizations seeking accreditation in order to be cost effective. 

Many organizations still hire a consultant even though they have been successful in the past with their CARF surveys – even when the last few surveys have resulted in a three-year accreditation outcome.  The form of consulting under these circumstances is typically short-term.  It may make sense to do a mock survey in order to get ready.  In other cases, it may just be a matter of a few hours of consulting to verify that changes that have occurred within the organization since the last CARF survey are still meeting the standards. 

The purpose of CARF is to emphasize and encourage best practices within the operations of the organization as it relates to both business practices and services delivery.  In some cases, these practices are developed by the creativity and genius of the organizations themselves.  Other times, best practices are taught at conferences or through the professional relationships with other providers.  However, an excellent resource is CARF consultants and the CARF surveyors.  Such professionals have visited many providers and have witnessed firsthand practical and effective means to do business and meet the standards. 

Another reason an organization might hire a consultant even though it is a strong organization is that the standards change each year.  That is the result of ever changing demands and expectations of providers.  As new concepts are introduced, they are integrated into the CARF standards. 

In many cases, there has been staff turnover of key positions between surveys.  This is especially true when there has been a change in leadership. The new replacements may not be aware of the CARF standards or may not be able to anticipate the type of questions that might be asked during the survey.  Practice interviews will help prepare persons and give them confidence.

During the survey itself, it is sometimes advantageous to have a consult available to answer questions as they arise.  It is not too uncommon for there to be miscommunications between what the CARF surveyor is seeking and what an organization thinks they are looking or asking for.  Such misunderstandings can easily be addressed thus avoiding a potential recommendation.

At the Accreditation Consulting Group (ACG) all of our consultants are currently CARF surveyors who each have at least 10 years of experience as a surveyor.  They are excellent resources for examples of best practices and are knowledgeable of efficient ways of meeting the standards.