To reinforce the value of accreditation throughout the term and to enhance the quality of services and the lives of persons served, each organization with CARF International-accredited programs has to submit an Annual Conformance to Quality Report (ACQR) to CARF, which is due on each anniversary date of the organization’s current accreditation term and reaffirms the organization’s conformance to the applicable standards. Under CARF Accreditation Condition #4, submission of the ACQR is required to maintain accredited status.
The ACQR recognizes each organization’s commitment to ongoing conformance to the CARF International standards throughout the accreditation term and is consistent with the CARF standards manuals, which state, “In order to retain accreditation, organizations and their accredited programs must at all times conform to CARF’s standards, satisfy the CARF Accreditation Conditions, and comply with CARF’s policies and procedures, as changes are published and made effective from time to time.”
The ACQR helps each organization manage risk by prompting it to review its practices to confirm that it is still in step with the quality- and consumer-focused outcomes. The ACQR document itself can help serve as a checklist for an organization’s leadership and staff to monitor progress in its quality improvement.
The ACQR is consistent with typical business practices for accountability and the trend to extend public trust and it delivers a strong statement when signed by the organization’s leadership. It is a public reaffirmation that the organization continues to conform to the CARF International standards even after the survey. An organization that regularly reviews and implements changes in the standards is better prepared for its next survey. The Communication also helps CARF plan the next survey to match each organization’s unique situation.
Gogebic CMH recently submitted the annual ACQR to CARF and have received CARF’s acknowledgment of the agency’s formal commitment to ongoing conformance to the CARF International standards throughout the agency’s accreditation term as a means of maintaining quality services; CARF also recognizes CMH’s efforts to provide quality services to persons that are served. In addition, the agency received the annual conformance Gold Seal that has been placed on the original Accreditation Certification from the 2016 survey.