ECMC awarded 3-year CARF accreditation for medical rehab program

The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) announced Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) Corp.’s acute inpatient rehabilitation unit was accredited for a period of three years (through June 30, 2023). This is the third consecutive accreditation the international accrediting body has awarded to ECMC. The first was awarded in 2014.

As stated in the July 31 notification letter from CARF International to ECMC, “This achievement is an indication of ECMC’s dedication and commitment to improving the quality of the lives of the persons served. Services, personnel, and documentation clearly indicate an establishment pattern of conformance to standards. ... Your organization should take pride in achieving this high level of accreditation.”

ECMC President and CEO Thomas J. Quatroche Jr., Ph.D., said, “To receive this third consecutive accreditation is further confirmation of the expertise and dedication of our entire rehabilitation team of physicians, nurses and therapists. Knowing the added challenges this year due to the pandemic, I am especially proud of our rehab clinicians for their resilience, reliability and continuing delivery of quality services to their patients. Their commitment to maintaining the high quality level of ECMC’s rehabilitation services contributed significantly to this important reaccreditation, which benefits our patients, improves their overall quality of life and has a positive impact on our entire community.”

An organization receiving a three-year CARF accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, ECMC’s acute inpatient rehabilitation unit demonstrated to a team of surveyors during a virtual online visit its commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable and of the highest quality.

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 International, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services. For more information about the accreditation process, visit the CARF website at www.carf.org.