ABC offers blackout dates to give your facility flexibility and peace of mind that an ABC surveyor won’t show up while you’re on vacation, at a conference or simply short on staff at a particular time. We encourage you to have a plan B and blackout dates are a great option for those situations. Unfortunately, over the years we have noticed misuse of this policy and limited availability will only further delay your onsite survey. We have updated our Blackout Policy as follows:

1. You are allowed a maximum of 14 total blackout dates during a six-month period. ABC will not visit facilities on major Federal Holidays or their observed days. If a facility is closed any other day (for example, the day after Christmas), you must submit a form requesting a blackout date. If you’re unavailable for a survey longer than 14 days, your site will be required to put your application and survey on hold.
2. To guarantee the accommodation of your blackout dates, your request must be submitted to ABC within two weeks of the date your application is received. Sites that have not submitted an application or are not scheduled to be surveyed do not need to notify us of any blackout dates.
3. To submit a request for blackout dates, you must fill out a Blackout Date Request Form.
4. **NEW** Effective January 1, 2019, ABC will no longer accept blackout dates within the 90 day survey window for new facilities, affiliate add-ons and facilities with new or additional ownership.

We must ensure that our surveyors have sufficient time to plan and make travel arrangements. If an ABC surveyor does show up to your facility and they cannot conduct the survey, it will result in a failed survey and a denied/revoked accreditation. We certainly don’t want that to happen!

As we head into the New Year, it is a good time to sit down with your staff and determine when blackout dates would be beneficial for your facility. That way, everyone has an opportunity to plan ahead. We want the accreditation and survey process to be smooth for everyone. If you have any questions regarding blackout dates, please contact us at accreditation@abcop.org.