Central Fabrication Accreditation Guide

Full Approval

ABC Central Fabrication Accreditation is awarded when all accreditation criteria are met and no major deficiencies are found. If your facility is granted full approval, you will receive a letter and a certificate for your five-year accreditation.

Corrective Action Plan

If your surveyor finds deficiencies during the survey and/or if your facility’s overall score is just below the passing range, your facility may be given the opportunity to submit a Corrective Action Plan (CAP). A CAP is a document that you submit to ABC that demonstrates the steps you have taken to address your facility’s compliance with the standards that were in question during your onsite survey. Supporting documentation should accompany each missed standard in order to adequately demonstrate your facility’s compliance. CAPs are reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis; submitting a CAP does not guarantee that you will be awarded accreditation. There is no cost to submit a CAP and they may be mailed, emailed or faxed. Documentation items submitted to ABC with your CAP will not be returned.

If you are required to submit a CAP, it is due within 60 days of the CAP request letter date. ABC will notify you by mail and email. Failure to submit your CAP by the deadline will result in denial. It takes approximately eight weeks for the CAP review process.

If we find that your CAP does not adequately demonstrate your compliance with the missed standards, we will inform you in writing and any additional materials will be due by the deadline stated in the correspondence.

Denial

Your facility may be denied accreditation for multiple reasons. The most common causes of accreditation denial are:

• You were non-compliant with a number of standards resulting in an overall score below the passing range
• Your Corrective Action Plan did not adequately address the issues or you failed to submit a CAP by the deadline
• Your surveyor was denied facility and/or documentation access
• Your facility was closed or otherwise unavailable during the scheduled onsite survey

If your facility is denied accreditation, we encourage you to reapply and be resurveyed once you are confident that you are in compliance with the standards. When you are ready to reapply, please submit a new application along with the appropriate fees.

Accreditation Effective Dates

Your accreditation effective date will be either:

• The first day following the onsite survey, if your facility passes the survey on the first review, or
• The first day after approval of your Corrective Action Plan

Accreditation Decision Appeals

If your facility is denied accreditation you may formally appeal the decision.

Appeals Process

You have 15 days from the receipt of your survey report to submit a written appeal to the Facility Accreditation Committee. Your appeal must be sent by certified mail return receipt requested or by verifiable overnight express mail service to:

ABC                                                                                                                                                                                      Attn: Facility Accreditation                                                                                                                                                  330 John Carlyle St.                                                                                                                                                              Suite 210                                                                                                                                                                                  Alexandria, VA 22314

Your appeal must include the necessary evidence or relevant documentation supporting the basis of your appeal. If you do not appeal the decision within the 15-day time period, the accreditation decision is final.

You will receive notification of the committee’s decision on your appeal within 60 days of its receipt by ABC. If you are not satisfied with the decision, you may submit a second appeal to the ABC Board of Directors by sending another written appeal via certified mail return receipt requested or by verifiable overnight express mail service within 15 days of receipt of the committee’s decision. You will be notified of the board’s decision within 60 days of receipt of your appeal. The board of director’s decision is final.