Nationwide Childrens Hospital's Inpatient Rehabilitation Program Awarded Three-Year CARF Accreditation

May 31, 2016

The Inpatient Rehabilitation Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital has been accredited for a period of three years by CARF International. This latest qualification earned by Nationwide Children’s is the ninth consecutive Three-Year Accreditation awarded by CARF – the international body of accreditation for rehabilitation facilities.

The first pediatric program in Ohio to receive this accreditation in 1992, Nationwide Children’s Inpatient Rehabilitation program has been accredited for 25 years.

This accreditation decision represents the highest level of recognition that can be awarded to a pediatric organization and shows the organization’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a Three-Year Accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process. It has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit its commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable and of the highest quality.

“This accreditation is a testament to our mission to provide the most comprehensive, family-centered rehabilitative services to meet the physical, developmental, social, psychological and educational needs of our patients and families,” said Michelle Miller, MD, FAAPMR, Section Chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Nationwide Children’s. “We are appreciative to CARF for recognizing our dedication to providing the highest quality of health care to children and adolescents.”

As a component of the Section of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit offers services including rehab nursing, occupational and physical therapy, speech pathology, psychology, neuropsychology, child life, social work, therapeutic recreation, massage therapy, education, clinical nutrition and case management. The Rehabilitation Clinic is established for follow-up visits, as well as evaluation for potential admission.

“Our commitment to the pediatric population we serve is underscored by this accreditation,” said Cindy Iske, MS, OTR/L, Rehabilitation Coordinator at Nationwide Children’s. “Our talented staff has demonstrated that it is committed to pursuing excellence for our patients and families every day.”

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, please visit the CARF website at www.carf.org.

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About Nationwide Children's Hospital

Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 14,000 that provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and diagnostic treatment during more than 1.7 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.