New Year – New Accreditation

Ringing in the New Year brings about a mindset of reflectiveness and a desire for transformation. As the calendar changes over, people are given the chance for a fresh start and are once again motivated to push themselves towards goals that had been previously set aside. These objectives are often personal, but what if you want to improve more than just yourself? What if, in 2023, you want to see the whole of your organization grow and flourish in a way that benefits both your employees and your clients? In that case, there’s no better time to start pursuing accreditation!

Accreditation goes beyond simple certification: it ensures that an institution adheres to nationally recognized standards centered on safety and quality care. Individuals seeking out treatment for themselves, or for a loved one, know that an accredited facility will have commitment to higher standards and monitor their operations on a regular basis, which provides a sense of security for everyone involved. Beyond this, accreditation will improve the environment of the organization as a whole by streamlining procedures and implementing easily-followed structures for staff and leadership

Some benefits of accreditation include…

  • Improves quality outcomes
  • Internal standardization of processes
  • External validation of the quality of programs and services
  • Increased efficiencies from improved practice consistency
  • Tightens administrative practices
  • Focus on staff recruitment, training, supervision, and retention
  • Increased emphasis on risk management
  • Improves credibility and boosts reputation
  • Improved competencies of supervisors and staff
  • Increased revenue

With the new year comes an opportunity for new focus, and whether you’ve been considering accreditation for a while or it’s only just come to mind, 2023 is the perfect year to get started. Even if you’re already accredited, time needs to be devoted to proactively maintaining your accredited status. Taking a moment to review your policies in preparation for your next survey can ensure it will be a smooth and seamless process, and perhaps it’s time to consider if your current accrediting body is still the right fit for your organization.

If you’d like to learn more about how Accreditation Guru can help make your life easier when it comes to preparing for (re)accreditation or maintaining your accredited status, feel free to contact us or schedule a 30-minute Zoom call with one of our experts.

For more information or questions about the contents of this article, please write or call Jennifer Flowers @ Jennifer@AccreditationGuru.com/212.209.0240. This post contains original content and was written for Accreditation Guru, Inc. Use of this copy is permitted with credit and reference within the same body of copy to Accreditation Guru, Inc.

Pine River Institute CEO, Vaughan Dowie, Sits Down with Accreditation Guru

Located near Shelburne, Ontario, Pine River Institute is a residential treatment center and outdoor leadership experience for youth 13 to 19 years old struggling with addictive behaviors and often other mental health issues. Shelburne is approximately 60 miles northwest of Toronto.

Pine River Institute’s decision to apply for and maintain national accreditation was based solely on internal drivers – commitment to quality and safety and to increase parents’ confidence.

Why did Pine River utilize a consulting service?

Eight or nine years ago, Pine River Institute was getting ready for its Council on Accreditation (COA) first re-accreditation on-site survey and the key staff involved in the original, initial accreditation process was no longer with Pine River Institute. Pine River Institute’s CEO, Vaughan Dowie, met Jennifer Flowers, Founder & CEO of Accreditation Guru, Inc. at a COA training event in New York City.

During a conversation with Jennifer that he learned that there were accreditation consulting services available for organizations like Pine River Institute.

Why did Pine River engage Accreditation Guru?

Knowing that the pre-work is most important and wanting good support, he engaged Jennifer. He selected Accreditation Guru, Inc because he found Jennifer to be very open to help; very knowledgeable; and, she had a good understanding of what was being asked of Pine River Institute by COA.

What was Pine River’s experience with Accreditation Guru like?

Vaughan’s experience with Accreditation Guru was very positive. With Accreditation Guru’s support, Pine River Institute was able to successfully navigate the accreditation process. Jennifer was always available; always able to answer questions; always came through! Her approach was down to earth with realistic answers. In fact, his initial experience led to “repeat business” and Pine River Institute has partnered with Accreditation Guru several times for COA re-accreditation. Each time, less support was needed as Jennifer helped PineRiver Institute to learn to “walk by itself.

Uniqueness of Pine River

Pine River Institute is unique in that it provides a “traditional” residential as well as an outdoor wilderness therapeutic program. Although both programs involve risk and exceptional risk management, the wilderness program has greater risk.

All programs are somewhat unique and special, but accreditation is as close as you are going to get to a third-party oversight/as close as you can get to a proxy for quality. Parents must have faith in an organization keeping their children safe. Other quality indicators (such as testimonials) can only go so far. When you are placing your child in a place where you know no one, you want some assurance of safety and quality.

Pine River Institute has 36 beds with a current waiting list of 200 children. If parents cannot wait for a Pine River Institute opening and ask Vaughan for advice on selecting another organization, he always advises the parents to only consider accredited programs. In order to be a “grown-up” you need to be nationally accredited.

To learn more on accreditation consultation, call us at 212.209.0240 or email Rocio@AccreditationGuru.com for assistance in setting up a commitment-free phone call with our CEO, Jennifer Flowers.

What does it mean to “live” accreditation?

Achieving national accreditation is more than passing a test. Navigating the road to accreditation requires a service provider to commit to quality improvement, focus on the unique needs of each person the provider serves and monitor the results of services. It announces to the world that your organization strives to be the best it can be. That’s hard work, but the process sets you on the course for long-term greatness.

Organizations are best served to approach accreditation as investment in their future. It helps to raise the bar internally and not only creates a more stable entity, but one that can more effectively manage growth in the future. Once achieved, if a human service provider truly “lives” accreditation (embraces and applies enhanced operational and program practices) it will strengthen their ability to improve the lives of the people they serve.

To read more on the advantages of accreditation, click here.

For questions and assistance with your accreditation and/or post accreditation, please contact us at 212.209.0240 or email Jennifer Flowers.

2017 Blog Recap

Did you miss any of our Accreditation Guru blog posts during the past year? We published nearly 25 informative articles on topics ranging from accreditation preparation to nonprofit management to issues affecting the behavioral healthcare field. Below we have highlighted some of our most popular posts from 2017 that may be worth a second look for your organization as you beginning planning for the New Year. Thank you for being loyal followers in 2017. We look forward to providing you with more informative posts in 2018! Here’s to the happiest of New Years!

Accreditation

Nonprofit Management and Boards of Directors

Behavioral Healthcare

AG’s own Corporate Social Responsibility

And don’t forget our popular series “Accreditation in Action,” which highlights organizations across the country and how they benefit from being nationally accredited.

Happy reading!