Eli's Rehab Report

The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities recently announced major revisions to its program standards, marking "a new era in quality improvement."

CARF's 2008 Medical Rehabilitation Standards Manual introduces major revisions to its program standards. Revised program and specialty standards include brain injury, comprehensive integrated inpatient rehabilitation, home- and community-based rehabilitation, interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation, occupational rehabilitation, pediatric family-centered rehabilitation, residential services, spinal cord system of care, and vocational services.

CARF also "substantially revised" standards for the rehabilitation process. This set of standards is applied on all surveys of medical rehabilitation programs.

In addition, standards for medical rehabilitation case management, health enhancement, outpatient, and stroke specialty programs have minor changes. And standards for amputation specialty programs, introduced in mid-2007, are published in the standards manual for the first time, CARF said.

All 2008 editions of CARF standards manuals (except Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies [DMEPOS]) have restructured their business practices standards, applied on all CARF surveys, to align with a logical, action-oriented framework for continuous improvement called "ASPIRE to Excellence."

Be ready: On-site CARF surveys applying the revised sets of standards will begin July 2008.