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CARF Connection Blog

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The CARF Connection blog, previously distributed in the form of a newsletter, provides timely tips, resources, and updates about CARF accreditation, business practices, and related matters. Learn about current trends in the fields that CARF accredits, improving services, and the latest CARF news.

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5/6/2021

Honoring nurses across health and human services

May 6 12, 2021, is Nurses Week. CARF recognizes the profound impact the nursing field has across health and human services.

11/13/2019

10 tips: How unpaid caregivers can beat burnout

With a growing aging population, many adult children and other loved ones step up to provide care, but family caregivers take on a significant amount of work in addition to regular jobs and family responsibilities, which can lead to extreme burnout.

7/25/2019

Addressing social determinants with higher standards

Social determinants of health (SDH) are the conditions in which people live, work, and age and include factors like housing stability, employment status, geographic location, education, and other socioeconomic circumstances. SDH, often determined by distribution of wealth and resources, has proven responsible for inequities in healthcare and has become its biggest cost-driver.

6/7/2019

Alternatives to opioids, continued: The Community Integration Pain Rehabilitation model

Using options like acupuncture, physical fitness, pottery, and more within an organized community-based program can help people reduce reliance on opioids

4/16/2019

Alternatives to opioids, continued: Understanding the nature of pain

In October, we highlighted some emerging medtech options that may help reduce reliance on opioids for pain management. Next in our series on pain management in the context of the current opioid crisis, we examine the deeper issue of the nature of pain itself.

3/14/2019

Elevating social work

By CARF International

The CARF Connection blog often discusses integrative services and ways to approach a person in a holistic way. In other words, we focus on many of the things that social workers have been advocating since the era of Jane Addams in the 1890s. It is no wonder that CARF’s workforce is teeming with social work professionals.

This March, CARF joins the National Association of Social Workers in celebrating social workers.

2/25/2019

Your health literacy: 5 ways to be your own best advocate

By CARF International

With healthcare information more widely available than ever, consumers are boosting their health literacy, taking the initiative to educate themselves more thoroughly on how to take care of themselves. Here are some suggestions for taking control of your own health literacy.

2/13/2019

3 examples of outcomes management systems in action

By CARF International

CARF shares best practices related to outcomes management through its standards. To complement that effort, here are some recent field examples of outcomes systems’ improving performance.

1/3/2019

World investing in and collaborating on healthcare quality

By CARF International

As providers, regulators, and payers in health and human services around the world seek value and efficiency, many are adopting new standards, integrating new methods, reviewing existing regulations, and exploring innovative practices from other countries.

12/20/2018

2018: CARF’s Year in Review

By CARF International

As 2018 comes to a close, we thank the many stakeholders who spent another year advancing the goals and values close to CARF’s mission. In a brief look back, here are some of the most consequential stories from 2018.

11/29/2018

All about outcomes: Performance-based reimbursement is changing health and human services

By CARF International

Many payers are exploring value- and performance-based payment models in which providers are reimbursed for positive outcomes. Most analysts believe such payment systems, which offer lower costs for payers, are the wave of the future.

10/16/2018

Not just a headache: What to know about youth concussions

By CARF International

In the past, a concussion sustained while playing sports may have been dismissed as just a bad headache. These days we understand a bump, blow, or jolt to the head (or even the body) can affect brain function and impeding an athlete’s ability to participate in sports for some time afterward. In worst-case scenarios, coma or death can result.

10/4/2018

Alternatives to opioids: Medical technology offers other pain control choices

By CARF International

Partly in response to the opioid crisis, medtechs across the nation have ramped up development of devices that aim to manage pain without exposing patients to the risk of drug addiction.

8/15/2018

Spotlight on a practical tool based on research

By Amy Ryan, MS, CCC-SLP and Dana Read, MS, CCC-SLP; CBIS-T

Screening for dysphagia and risk of aspiration in stroke patients

As speech pathologists and leaders in the stroke rehabilitation acute care setting, we know that a reliable swallow-screening tool is essential in treating patients at risk for dysphagia. Early detection of dysphagia and the risk of aspiration are critical in improving swallowing function during a patient’s hospital course. This is especially important with stroke patients, a population in which oropharyngeal dysphagia occurs in 42%–67% of patients within the first 3 days.

6/19/2018

Healthy China 2030: Trends in rehabilitation

By Jing Walker, International Advisor, CARF Europe

Healthy China 2030 (HC 2030), healthcare reform launched in 2016, has put China’s relatively young but fast-growing rehabilitation and aging services industries back in the spotlight. In this article, Dr. Jianan Li discusses trends in China’s health and human services and the role CARF accreditation has in advancing quality healthcare in China.

5/24/2018

The Value of Professional Development

By CARF International

Take advantage of the professional development resource offered to CARF-accredited organizations, and encourage your emerging leaders to become CARF surveyors. 

5/17/2018

4 ways accreditation supports the human services ecosystem

By CARF International

A recent report discusses the future of community-based human services. The first four initiatives are directly supported by CARF standards, meaning, if you’re a CBO applying the standards for accreditation, you’re likely strengthening the overall ecosystem. Here are the standards and other CARF resources that can offer guidance to your organization.

4/10/2018

Seen and heard at the CARF surveyor conference

By CARF International

Surveyors representing health and human service organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada attended the 2018 CARF Surveyor Continuing Education Conference on March 24 and 25 at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort in beautiful Tucson, Arizona.

3/22/2018

Adaptive fitness fuels my SCI journey

By T. Kent Keyser, Public Policy Fellow, United Spinal Association 

Kent spent more than three decades working for a prominent member of the U.S. House of Representatives. That experience coupled with his natural resilience and optimism helped him overcome rehabilitation obstacles following a severe spinal cord injury from a freak accident in his home. Kent took charge of his own recovery and is now a national advocate for others with spinal cord injury or other paralyzing conditions.  

3/20/2018

CMS clarifies “Improvement Standard” to the benefit of persons served

By Alexandra Bennewith, M.P.A., Vice President, Government Relations and Jane Wierbicky, RN, Information Specialist, United Spinal Association

Recent CMS actions provide welcome clarity to providers, insurers, and individuals with chronic conditions who need rehabilitative therapies and other skilled services, even when their underlying condition will not improve. 

The actions include revisions to the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, a CMS webpage devoted to the topic, and a nationwide education campaign.

2/28/2018

Seen and Heard at the Transforming Outcomes Institute

CARF’s winter Transforming Outcomes Institute concluded on February 24. It hosted more than 100 participants in Tucson, AZ. Here’s a visual breakdown of the training.

1/3/2018

The Sweden Story

By Jing Walker, International Advisor, CARF Europe

In 1996, Lund University Hospital in Sweden became the first organization outside North America with a CARF-accredited program. Since then, the organization has restructured into Skåne University Hospital. The organization is preparing for its seventh accreditation survey in early summer of 2018. 

Already one of the largest rehabilitation medicine clinics in Scandinavia, what makes Skåne University continuously committed to CARF accreditation?

9/1/2017

Message from CARF CEO regarding Hurricanes Harvey and Irma

We at CARF are deeply concerned about the many lives affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, natural disasters of significant scope and scale.

8/23/2017

Where CARF surveyors come from

We spoke with three former CARF surveyors who are now CARF staff members. They shared some interesting context on themselves and why they first got into surveying

7/11/2017

Hope in the hallways:

Halfway into the 1971 classic film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Gene Wilder, wearing an orange top hat and oversized bow tie, excitedly shows off a special wall covered in fruit-decorated wallpaper. “Lick a pineapple,” he implores. “It tastes like a pineapple. Try some more! The snozzberries taste like snozzberries!” While snozzberries and lickable wallpaper are the stuff of fiction, the interactive wonderland of Wonka’s chocolate factory is not far from reality at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis, Indiana.

6/7/2017

Better outcomes through consumer feedback: A spotlight on China

By Brad Contento, Corporate Communications, CARF International

Gathering consumer feedback with uSPEQ survey tools has been gaining traction within hospitals across China over the past two years. It is part of a larger quality improvement groundswell happening in the country.

1/10/2017

Announcement about MED 101 training opportunities for 2017

Beginning in 2017, CARF’s Medical Rehabilitation unit will offer 101 trainings exclusively in a downloadable recorded format rather than conducting physical-locations trainings. Here is the information you need to know about the change.

9/16/2016

Quality Practice Notice on Suicide Prevention

Responsible, quality-based practitioners in the health and human services industry should educate and train themselves to act in a responsible and timely manner when presented with a person at risk for suicide. We know through research that applying evidence-based practice and delivering comprehensive and integrated prevention programs can reduce the rate of suicide. In regard to Suicide Prevention Month, please access CARF’s Quality Practice Notice on Suicide Prevention for first step resources to saving a life.

9/13/2016

TIRR Memorial Hermann—Past, Present and Future

As part of CARF’s 50th year anniversary celebration in 2016, we are sharing snapshots of the industries in which we offer accreditation. This is part 4 of a series: Medical Rehabilitation. TIRR Memorial Hermann was one of the first providers to receive CARF accreditation in 1967.

8/31/2016

Making the shift: Improving SCI outcomes with enhanced person-centered care

Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia, is beginning to share the results from a three-year research project on the outcomes of an enhanced person-centered care initiative (including spinal cord injury peer mentorship) and how those strategies can be affordably replicated elsewhere.

6/21/2016

Technology continues to ingrain itself into health and human service fields

Telecommunications and data management technology has unavoidably made its way into healthcare industries because it can increase consumer access to services and providers’ ability to provide them. Many providers are successfully incorporating technological solutions, which is why CARF has made an effort to highlight practices related to this topic in the Promising Practices newsletter series. This blog post features some articles that highlight successful uses of technology to improve business practices or service delivery.

5/31/2016

Increasing formation of healthcare networks calls attention to quality guidelines

A major story so far in 2016 has been the change in service delivery models toward larger systems and networks through affiliations, mergers, and various other types of integrations. Providers are forming relationships across multiple sectors to expand their reach and provide services more efficiently to a broader population. The changing environment poses challenges for providers as they find themselves operating within a new service infrastructure or environment. This trend is of particular interest to CARF because it poses quality questions for providers across a spectrum of industries.

4/8/2016

The ins and outs of choosing and displaying the CARF seal of accreditation

After your programs or services have earned CARF accreditation, you will want to market and advertise your achievement to your community and stakeholders. CARF provides resources that can help you promote your accreditation, including guidelines for citing your accreditation, example news release and letter text, and several CARF seal options. This blog post explains how to properly use and display the CARF seals of accreditation in your online and printed materials.

11/6/2014

Cancer care rehabilitation is game changer for patients

With a renewed focus on both survivorship and quality of life, the medical community now recognizes that rehabilitation can serve an important role in improving care for the more than 14 million people currently living with cancer. This renewed focus allows for new opportunities of growth and clinical development in which the skills and tools commonly used for more traditional rehabilitation populations are now being applied to underserved individuals with significant needs.

7/23/2014

Integrating rehabilitation into cancer care

When CARF International conducted market research and analysis in 2012, a consensus emerged that CARF was at a critical juncture for bridging a gap in the cancer field. Many acute care and oncology specialists had limited experience and expertise in providing rehabilitation care, and cancer rehabilitation professionals were seeking a framework for integrating their specialty into the cancer care continuum.

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