Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit at CHOP Earns CARF Accreditation

The Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) earned accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) in December 2023. CARF International is an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services that uses a set of internationally recognized organizational and program standards to help rehab providers optimize care and enhance the lives of patients served.

CHOP’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit is an 18-bed unit located within Children’s Seashore House. The building – connected to CHOP’s hospital in Philadelphia – provides comprehensive and interdisciplinary rehabilitation services to patients who have experienced an injury or illness that has impacted their ability to perform activities of daily living, or affected mobility, cognition and/or communication.

The journey to CARF accreditation required a thorough review of CHOP’s policies and procedures, with updates as needed. Our multidisciplinary team is led by Sarah (Sally) Helen Evans, MD, Division Chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at CHOP, and includes physicians, nurses, therapists, and many clinical and support staff. Together, we work to improve the lives of patients and families we serve by enhancing communication and improving safety practices every day.

Improvements we have implemented include:

• Seeking feedback from patients themselves, as well as caregivers, referral sources and staff. This feedback continues to guide quality improvement initiatives at CHOP.
• Strengthening our patient-centered focus by creating a kid-friendly “patient bill of rights” and sharing/reviewing this with each patient and family.
• Transition from a multidisciplinary team to a transdisciplinary team to improve communication throughout the continuum of care. Two tools being used include: an updated whiteboard on the unit to improve handoff communication between shifts and an updated discharge summary, instructions and details for patients and caregivers.
• Safety was also a strong focus, as we increased emergency preparedness on the rehab unit, as well as with patients and caregivers in preparation for discharge. We conducted simulated evacuation drills on all shifts to ensure staff were prepared for emergency situations, and shared home evacuation and emergency planning documents with all patients/caregivers.

Achieving this 3-year accreditation shows the CHOP community, the public, funders, and regulators CHOP’s enduring commitment to continuously improve services, manage risk, and distinguish our service delivery.