Barrins Bulletin
October 2025
Greetings to Our Colleagues in Behavioral Health!
Dear Readers,
October always feels like a turning point — a moment when the pace of the year shifts and priorities sharpen. Across behavioral health and psychiatric hospital settings, we’re seeing teams move from managing the day-to-day to strengthening readiness for what’s next.
Whether it’s preparing for new Joint Commission standards, tackling workforce challenges, or tightening performance data reporting, this season often brings renewed focus and forward momentum.
At Barrins & Associates, our work this quarter has centered on helping organizations translate regulatory requirements into practical, sustainable systems.
The most successful teams are not waiting for survey season — they are embedding compliance into daily operations and using data to drive decisions. It’s an encouraging shift that points to a stronger, more resilient behavioral health field.
In this October issue, you’ll find:
- Regulatory & Accreditation Updates — Key developments from JC, CMS, and other accrediting bodies
- Feature Focus: From Readiness to Resilience — How proactive compliance builds lasting operational strength
- Tip of the Month — A quick strategy you can apply right now to strengthen survey readiness
- Spotlight Stories — How organizations are turning challenges into measurable improvement
Our goal is to provide insight into how you can act on content that supports your leadership teams and compliance professionals as they navigate an increasingly complex environment.
Thank you for your continued trust and collaboration. The work you do every day to deliver safe, high-quality care truly matters — and it continues to inspire our team at Barrins & Associates.
Guiding Your Success: Real-World Solutions to Meet accreditation and/or regulatory challenges.
Best Regards,
Yvonne Rockwood
MBA, MHA, CPHQ
Senior Vice President
Always Survey-Ready with the Barrins Continuous Accreditation Support (CAS) Program
Staying survey-ready year-round doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
That’s why we implemented the Barrins & Associates Continuous Accreditation Support (CAS) Program—an exclusive partnership model for healthcare organizations committed to maintaining readiness in every moment of care. By pairing expert guidance from Barrins consultants with 24/7 access to the secure Barrins Portal—a robust online library filled with proven tools and compliance resources—CAS delivers a complete system for achieving and sustaining continuous compliance.
What’s Included
- Direct Access to Experts
Receive up to 25 expert advice inquiries per month for your most complex accreditation and regulatory questions. - Centralized Resource Hub
Access everything you need within the secure, user-friendly Barrins Portal—your one-stop platform for continuous readiness. - 100+ Downloadable Tools
Explore customizable tracers, checklists, and templates—ready to adapt to your own policies and workflows.
Why Clients Choose CAS
The Continuous Accreditation Support (CAS) Program is a proven model within the HBS family of companies—demonstrating how ongoing partnership transforms survey preparation from a last-minute sprint into a steady, proactive strategy. Across healthcare organizations nationwide, this approach has delivered measurable results—strengthening compliance programs, improving readiness outcomes, and fostering lasting confidence in survey performance. Built on partnership, consistency, and proven results, CAS keeps organizations compliant, confident, and ready all year round.
Who Qualifies
The Continuous Accreditation Support (CAS) Program is available to organizations that have contracted with us for:
- 20 or more days of onsite consulting per year, or
- 200 or more hours of remote consulting annually.
Ready to Stay Survey-Ready All Year?
We are proud to bring this trusted approach to your organization and would be honored to partner with you on your journey toward continuous readiness! Join the growing network of behavioral healthcare organizations that trust the Barrins Continuous Accreditation Support (CAS) Program to elevate compliance, strengthen operations, and support safe, high-quality care.
Already a Continuous Accreditation Support (CAS) Program Client?
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Joint Commission (JC)
Ambulatory Care Conference – In Person – November 5, 2025
Where: JC Central Office, One Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
About: In-person program focused on practical strategies for sustaining Joint Commission ambulatory care accreditation, emphasizing patient safety, quality improvement, and sustainable operations. The conference also features behavioral health sessions and updates on JC’s Accreditation 360 initiative, including new crosswalks aligning EPs with CMS CoPs for psychiatric hospitals and BHC programs.
DNV
Training Discount Offer
DNV is offering 30% off any private training course delivered in 2025.
CHIQ
Webinars via ARS (CIHQ’s consulting arm)
CIHQ-ARS offers monthly webinars on standards, CMS topics, physical environment, and more.
ACHC
Regulatory Update for Maryland PRP Providers
ACHC posted a regulatory alert: Effective Jan 1, 2026, Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program (PRP) providers in Maryland must submit the NPI of referring practitioners and ensure active enrollment with Medicaid. That’s a behavioral health specific regulatory change to watch.
Certified Consultant Training – Behavioral Health (On-Demand)
For those consulting in BH, ACHC offers an on-demand “Behavioral Health & The Accreditation Process” training, available through December 31, 2026.
CARF
Canada Advanced Performance Measurement
Nov 5 @ 9:00 am – Nov 7 @ 4:30 pm
This three-day training helps organizations define, measure, and report performance metrics.
Multiple Trainings throughout the Year
Onsite, virtual, blended for standards of education, survey prep, and outcome management training.
COA
Trainings:
- Intro to COA (free webinar): Introduction to COA Accreditation — upcoming sessions listed on the events page (e.g., mid-/late-Nov dates appear on the COA calendar)
- SPARK 2025 (pre-conference, Chicago): Intensive Accreditation Training and Performance & Quality Improvement (IAT & PQI) sessions
- Virtual blocks (Dec 1, 2025): IAT 1:30–4:30 pm EST; combined IAT & PQI 10:00 am–1:00 pm EST. Registration via COA Trainings
- Year Round Training
Build resilience by adding a brief “pause and reset” moment at the start of each shift—one minute for staff to center, connect, and refocus before engaging with clients and patients.
Barrins & Associates provides regulatory and accreditation consulting services for the Behavioral Healthcare industry, including psychiatric hospitals and freestanding BH organizations. We specialize in providing survey preparation and continuous survey readiness services to help you provide safe and compliant care.
Founded in 1999 by Anne Barrins, former Joint Commission (JC) surveyor and succeeded by Julia Finken, former JC surveyor, Associate Director of Business Development for the Home Care Program, and Executive Director of Business Development for the Behavioral Health Care and Psychiatric Hospital Programs and Yvonne Rockwood, former Regional Associate Director for the Eastern Business Development Division at the JC for Community Behavioral Health Care Services.
In this Issue
- Resilience in Behavioral Health Care – A Core Operational Requirement
- Parity in Behavioral Healthcare: What Community Behavioral Health Leaders Need to Know
- Make the Safer Way the Easiest Way: Process Redesign for Psychiatric Hospitals
- Accreditor Insights & Updates: JC, DNV, CIHQ, ACHC, CARF, COA
- Tip of the Month
Congratulations Corner
We applaud our clients who have recently and successfully completed their Behavioral Health and Human Services and/or Hospital Accreditation Program Survey. The achievement of such indicates an aptitude for quality and safety of care. Congratulations to your organization and staff!
CT DMHAS Central Ohio Behavioral Health
NewPsych
NJ DOH Ancora Psychiatric Hospital
Why Choose Us?
“The team helped identify areas where our policies and practices needed updating and provided thoughtful feedback on opportunities for improvement. Their insights offered clear guidance on both immediate priorities and longer-term enhancements, strengthening our overall quality of care. The experience was incredibly valuable, providing expert guidance, practical recommendations, and strong support in preparing our organization for survey readiness.”
Chief Operating Officer
Behavioral Health Organization
Are You Survey Ready?
We can assist you to achieve and sustain accreditation and regulatory compliance in adherence to the TJC, DNV, CHIQ, ACHC, CARF, COA, and CMS, standards for psychiatric hospitals and community behavioral health and human services providers. Inquire today about our consulting services. We continue to support your journey toward accreditation and regulatory compliance.
Inquire today about our consulting services.
We continue to support your journey toward accreditation and regulatory compliance.