Oct 16, 2018
NAATP Adopts Membership Accreditation Requirement
Directors Desk: 10.16.18
Earlier this year the NAATP membership voted on the issue of whether to require that addiction treatment providers be accredited as a condition of membership. The measure proposing the requirement was approved overwhelmingly by the Board of Directors and the membership at large. Beginning January 1, 2019, therefore, NAATP Provider Members will be required to demonstrate that they are accredited by a recognized accrediting body in order to remain a member. Likewise, new membership applicants will be required to demonstrate accreditation.
The majority of NAATP members are already accredited. The relatively small number of members who are not accredited will be granted provisional status and given 24 months to obtain accreditation. New applicants for membership may be admitted as provisional members and given 24 months to obtain accreditation.The graphic indicates the distribution of NAATP’s approximate 900 member facilities by accreditation status.
NAATP staff will assist non-accredited providers in obtaining accreditation by connecting them with the accrediting body and assuring the accrediting body that the provider is a provisional member in good standing that has demonstrated proper licensing, adherence to NAATP values and The Ethics Code, and is in compliance with the new NAATP Quality Assurance Guidelines to be released later this year.
Both CARF and the Joint Commission have expressed a desire to take a direct handoff of the provider from NAATP. NAATP will consider approving other accrediting bodies if we can establish that the body’s standards are appropriate and adequately rigorous.
NAATP believes the accreditation requirement is a necessary step toward improved care and legitimization of addiction treatment as health care. We believe that providers must strive for high quality and demonstrate reliability to the consumer and payer. The policy will also add value to NAATP membership. Consumers will know that a listing on the NAATP Addiction Industry Directory (The AID) indicates quality, safety, values, ethics, and best operational practices.
Thank you for your membership in The National Association. Our membership is currently at an all-time high and growing. This unprecedented increase in membership occurred despite our decision to remove numerous facilities from our membership. We did so because these entities were not in sufficient compliance with the new NAATP Code of Ethics 2.0 and our values. We believe that we devalue our members, our association, and our entire field by tolerating less than professional ethical operation. We are proud of our members and we want our members to be proud to be part of the professional society that stands for all that is best in the delivery of addiction treatment.
