Cheyenne Regional Medical Center’s Acute Rehabilitation Unit Earns Accreditation for General Rehabilitation and Stroke Care

July 27, 2018

Cheyenne Regional Medical Center’s (CRMC) acute rehabilitation unit (ARU) recently received a three-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) for both general and stroke rehabilitative services.

CRMC’s ARU has been accredited by CARF for 12 years for general rehabilitation. This is the first time that the ARU has received CARF’s specialty accreditation for stroke care.

“Earning CARF accreditation is a rigorous process that includes an onsite survey by two independent medical practitioners who interview staff and also review patient charts to determine the quality of rehabilitation and overall care that’s being provided,” said Joshua Fillbrandt, the ARU’s clinical director.

CRMC’s ARU is the only CARF-accredited inpatient and stroke rehabilitation program in Wyoming and is one of only two CARF-accredited programs in a region extending from southern Wyoming to Boulder, Colo.

CRMC has provided stroke rehabilitation in its ARU for many years, but this was the first time that the unit had applied for stroke accreditation.

“We felt like it was a good time to seek the specialty accreditation since we have provided high-level, comprehensive stroke care in our ARU for many years,” said Staci Stone, the ARU’s program director.

CRMC’s ARU was specifically recognized by the onsite CARF surveyors for having a strong commitment to safety and quality, positive patient outcomes, a strong nursing staff, a compassionate staff, renovations that enhance patient and staff experiences, an effective continuum of care and strong connections to the community.

CARF International is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body of health and human services that accredits more than 50,000 programs and services at 25,000 locations in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

CARF accreditation requires the service provider to commit to ongoing quality improvement, focus on the unique needs of each person served and monitor the results of services provided.

“CARF accreditation is a way to reassure patients and their families that a rehabilitation program is committed to excellence and the highest quality standards,” Stone said.

“We believe CARF accreditation is important because it demonstrates that we are focused on providing the highest level of rehabilitation care to our patients and community,” Fillibrandt said. “It also shows that our ARU team is dedicated to helping patients achieve the highest level of independence and to improving their overall quality of life.”

An ARU is distinguished from other rehabilitation programs by the amount and level of rehabilitation required. Each patient undergoes intensive rehabilitation at least three hours a day, five days a week.

“In an ARU, a physician leads an interdisciplinary team in providing coordinated rehabilitation care for each patient, with an expectation that the patient will achieve measurable improvements,” Stone said. “The rehabilitation care is tailored to fit the needs of the individual.”

CRMC’s ARU specializes in treating people who are recovering from a variety of conditions, including strokes, brain injuries, neuropathy and myopathy, spinal cord injuries, multiple trauma injuries, amputations, neurological disorders, Guillain-Barre syndrome, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.