Stamp of approval.

Assisted living readies for accreditation

BY JULY, ASSISTED LIVING PROVIDERS will be able to seek voluntary accreditation--with a choice of accreditation programs. CARF...The Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission has developed assisted living accreditation standards that will be presented to the board of directors on January 15, 2000, according to Chris MacDonell, national director of adult day services/assisted living for CARF.

CARF expects to roll out the program on July 1, 2000--the same date targeted by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations for the rollout of its assisted living accreditation program (see Newsfronts, July 1999).

"General comments on the (CARF) standards have been very positive," said MacDonell. However, there has been some confusion over the difference between licensing regulations and accreditation standards, she reports. "Standards involve much broader concepts than regulations."

AARP participated in the review of the CARF standards, as did the Assisted Living Federation of America and the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. ALFA and AAHSA have both formally endorsed the CARE program.

"The CARF program is more resident-centered and is therefore a better match philosophically with ALFA," says Tim Whittier, ALFA's vice president for programs and services.

MacDonell believes there's room for both programs. "The ability to choose is always good. Providers who are part of a large health care system may be more comfortable with the JCAHO program," she says.

Assisted living providers can expect to spend anywhere from six months to 18 months to complete the CARF program. There is a $650 application fee. A survey preparation guide will be available for $55. The standards manual will cost $100. The survey itself will cost approximately $4,000, or $1,000 per surveyor per day.

CARF will offer seminars on the program, beginning March 6-7 in Costa Mesa, California. Other seminars are scheduled for May 11-12 in Seattle; June 10-11 in Lisle, Illinois; and November 13-14 in Baltimore, Maryland. The cost of the seminar will be $350, which includes a standards manual.

Accreditation programs for assisted living are an idea whose time has come, says Whittier. "It's been a long and arduous process to come to accreditation," he says. "A couple of years ago, we couldn't even say the word."