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At its Spring 2001 meeting, ASHA's Legislative Council (LC) passed a resolution to eliminate the accreditation of professional services programs and the Council on Professional Services Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CPSA, formerly the Professional Services Board [PSB]), effective December 31, 2001. In addition, the LC passed another resolution to develop and disseminate quality indicators for professional service delivery programs, as part of the Association's commitment to quality services for consumers (see "Inside ASHA", The ASHA Leader, May 1, 2001, p.10).
A three-year plan plan was developed giving due consideration to (a) legal, ethical, and procedural issues; (b) sensitivity to the needs of accredited programs; and (c) applicability of current standards as quality indicators for clinical service delivery programs. Details of the plan are summarized below.
End of Accreditation Cycle
All programs that were accredited as of December 31, 2001 had the option to continue accreditation on an annual basis until December 31, 2004. The three-year extension was chosen because 78% of accredited programs would have completed their current cycles by that time. CPSA further considered that having different end dates for different programs could cause confusion for consumers. Further, the LC voted to develop and disseminate quality indicators for professional service programs that can be used for program self-evaluation (LC 10-2001). These quality indicators will be developed by January 1, 2005. This three-year period gives programs adequate time to develop alternate mechanisms to demonstrate the quality of their services, ensuring a smooth transition from programs' use of ASHA standards to programs' use of ASHA quality indicators.
Programs that hold joint CPSA/CARF accreditation will remain accredited through the end of their current joint cycle. After that time, programs will have the option of continuing ASHA accreditation on an annual basis until December 31, 2004.
Maintenance of Accreditation
Programs that choose to maintain accreditation during this three-year period submit a brief annual Accreditation Maintenance Report documenting compliance with the revised standards for professional service programs. ASHA will maintain the accreditation of programs that submit this report and will withdraw the accreditation of those that do not. ASHA will provide some form of recognition (e.g., certificate, letter, logo) for those programs that maintain accreditation.
Fees
No annual fee is assessed for the maintenance of accreditation during the three-year phase-out period.
Public Recognition
ASHA National Office maintains hard-copy listings of accredited programs and posted listings of accredited programs on the ASHA Web site and ProServ. National Office staff will continue to respond to inquiries and disseminate information related to professional services standards.
Administrative Issues
You may access a listing of frequently asked questions (FAQ) and answers that addresses many of the detailed questions related to the phase-out process for accreditation operations.
Any questions regarding the professional services accreditation program should be directed to the CPSA staff in ASHA's National Office. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time of transition.
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