Joint Commission Accreditation

Cascade Academy is proud to announce that they have recently achieved their Joint Commission Accreditation.  Those who have been through this progress know how great of an achievement this is.  For those unfamiliar with the process, Joint Commission Accreditation is considered the “Gold Star” awarded only to programs, schools and healthcare facilities that meet the highest industry standards of care.  This achievement requires Herculean efforts by each department. 

What Does It Mean?

The decision to place your child, whom you love dearly, in the care of someone else requires courage.  Will they care like you do?  Will your child feel safe?  Will their needs be met?  How can you make sure your child will receive all that they will need?  “Achieving Joint Commission accreditation demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement in patient care. Joint Commission accreditation tells your patients you’re committed to providing safe, high-quality care — time after time.”  Less than 20% of treatment facilities nationwide are accredited by the Joint Commission. Only those programs committed to the highest level of care, willing to subject themselves to the highest levels of scrutiny and those willing to embrace the highest levels of accountability can achieve the distinguished honor of Joint Commission Accreditation.

What is the Process?

The best word to describe the process of receiving accreditation is “comprehensive”. Programs already meet the state standards of care for a safe and healthy environment.  The additional Joint Commission expectations are intended to go above and beyond the standard expectations of care. The process includes the following five steps:

1.  Self-Assessment – After becoming familiar with the Joint Commissions standards, a program will assess their program to ensure its feasibility.
2.  Application – When submitting an application, programs will voluntarily provide detailed information about all of the moving parts of their organization.  This includes, schedules, employee qualifications, policies and procedures and any company documents that direct treatment.
3. Evaluation – A trained Joint Commission auditor reviews the facility, every policy, every document, every employee file to ensure that all processes meet the highest industry standards. 
4. Deliberation – Following an evaluation every program or provider is given a list of improvements that need to be made to be considered for accreditation with an accompanying timeline.  Suggested improvements may be as simple as documentation processes and as complicated as new policies and procedures. 
5. Accreditation – Once the Joint Commission has extended their congratulatory accreditation, there are ongoing standards and expectations that must be met to remain in good standing.  This includes biannual reviews, unannounced visits and check-ins and ongoing accountability to ensure the highest standard of care is being offered each and every day.

As the wellness and behavioral healthcare industry has evolved over the past several decades, treatment has become increasingly more humane, more trauma-informed and more successful.  The dignity of clients and their families has been honored and sacred trust that is placed in treatment providers has developed. “As a private accreditor, The Joint Commission surveys health care organizations to protect the public by identifying deficiencies in care and working with those organizations to correct them as quickly and sustainably as possible.” Cascade Academy is excited to be recognized with their Joint Commission Accreditation. As they move forward onto the next steps of their journey they anticipate improved oversight and accountability, increased access to insurance benefits for their families and improved systems governing the planning, delivery and reporting of their program offerings.

Cascade Academy is a 26-bed residential treatment center treating adolescent girls between the ages of 13 to 18 suffering with severe anxiety, OCD and OCD related disorders. Cascade Academy combines the power of traditional therapy and experiential therapy modalities to create a clinically specialized, individualized residential treatment center. The residential treatment program utilizes evidence-based treatment modalities: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure Response Prevention (ERP), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI). Individual, family, recreational and group therapy along with individualized sequential exposures are a key component to their treatment.