The Children's Institute Gets CARF Distinction
Friday, Mar 27, 2009
The Children’s Institute Receives CARF Reaccreditation
Specialty Hospital Becomes The Only Accredited Inpatient and Outpatient Pediatric Rehabilitation Facility in Pennsylvania
The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) International announced that The Hospital at The Children’s Institute has been accredited for a period of three years for its inpatient and outpatient programs; thereby affording them the distinction of being the only CARF accredited inpatient and outpatient pediatric rehabilitation facility in Pennsylvania.
The Children’s Institute earned its first CARF accreditation in 1968, and has maintained the inpatient standard ever since. In the time since the evaluators’ last visit three years ago, the Squirrel Hill-based pediatric facility expanded into the entirety of its Shady Avenue building increasing their inpatient bed capacity from 39 to 82, renovating the treatment spaces and adding more programs. This recent three-year accreditation interval is the organization’s first to include outpatient therapies as well as the expanded inpatient units. Taking this step sets the stage for programmatic accreditations in the future.
“This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows The Children’s Institute’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards,” says Jane Keim, vice president of Clinical Operations. “An organization receiving a three-year accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit that its programs and services are of the highest quality, measurable and accountable.”
Jane Keim goes on to explain that CARF accreditation is vital to The Children’s Institute and its patients since most insurance companies require at least one accreditation in order to approve payments. CARF is recognized as the industry blue-ribbon standard, says Keim. This means that maintaining and exceeding the highest standards, which insurance companies can easily identify, will ensure the best care experience possible.
The Children’s Institute is a nonprofit organization with offices in Squirrel Hill, Wexford, Green Tree and Norwin Hills. It has been providing rehabilitation services in the Pittsburgh area since 1902.
CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services.
