CHRISTUS St. Michael Rehabilitation Hospital Earns Coveted National Accreditation

CHRISTUS St. Michael Rehabilitation Hospital has earned the coveted three-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) for meeting and exceeding the standards of services for improved service outcomes, patient satisfaction and quality service delivery.

“CARF is the gold standard for the inpatient rehabilitation industry,” said Kristine Bell, administrative director for nursing at CHRISTUS St. Michael Rehabilitation Hospital.

CHRISTUS St. Michael Rehabilitation Hospital is the only CARF-accredited facility in Texarkana, having completed a nearly year-long survey that includes an on-site visit by expert practitioners selected by CARF.

Once the on-site survey is completed, CARF prepares a written report of the provider’s strengths and areas for improvement. If a provider has sufficiently demonstrated adherence to the standards, it earns CARF accreditation.

“Earning this accreditation signifies our commitment to meeting and exceeding the internationally accepted standards of care for the patients we see,” said Sheree Potter, rehabilitation director.

Along with the Rehabilitation Hospital CARF Accreditation, two individual rehab programs – the stroke specialty program and amputation specialty program – received three-year CARF accreditation.

“Seeing individual programs accredited means we are meeting and exceeding requirements for these specific patient populations including, but not limited to, providing peer support, individual education and monitoring of disease progression,” said Jeff Justin, rehabilitation manager.

Currently, CARF accredits more than 8,500 service providers and more than 64,000 programs at more than 30,000 locations across five continents.

CHRISTUS St. Michael Rehabilitation Hospital is one of 472 inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in the country and one of 32 in Texas to earn CARF accreditation.

“Our continuous goal is to provide our community with not just the best service, but the best experience, and the best outcomes,” Potter said. “CARF accreditation is a reflection of the tremendous work done at the rehab hospital by all of our associates.”