The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) recently renewed accreditation for seven physical medicine and rehabilitation programs at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota. The 2016 CARF survey accreditation process involved two days of interviews, presentations, shadowing sessions and more. During the exit conference, CARF surveyors noted many strengths and practices that are integral to the high-quality care provided at Mayo Clinic.

Mayo Clinic rehabilitation programs receiving CARF accreditation included the stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury and pediatrics programs. Surveyors noted many organizational strengths at Mayo, including the extensive interdisciplinary collaboration and the strong patient focus.

Mayo staff members received praise for their dedicated leadership team, their impressive level of training, specialty certification and engagement, and their commitment to evidence-based decision-making. Mayo's depth and breadth of continuing education and competency programs, and the spacious and state-of-the-art physical facilities and equipment were also recognized.

Surveyors identified two innovative programs within Mayo's PM&R practice as exemplary:

• The Brain Injury Coping Skills (BICS) Program, which focuses on patient and caregiver support following brain injury. Caregivers and patients who participated in this program noted the following outcomes: a significant improvement in caregivers' ratings of patient behavioral control when evaluated using the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale; a significant improvement (from 11 to 33 percent) in patient Satisfaction With Life Scale ratings, and a significant increase (from 8 to 42 percent) in patient use of common coping strategies; and a significant decrease (from 60 to 33 percent) following treatment in the number of caregivers who rated their perceived burden of care as "high."

• Collaboration between Mayo Clinic’s Spinal Cord Injury Team and Plastic Surgery staff to reduce pressure ulcers. Patients who were seen preoperatively for all recommended consults, including rehabilitation assessments, and optimized for surgery had improved outcomes compared to patients who did not receive preoperative intervention. Hospital length of stays decreased from 33.05 to 10.72 average days, and hospital readmission rates decreased from 12.70 to 4.5 percent

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