Central Fabrication Accreditation Guide

      Accreditation requires that you continue to comply with the ABC standards, abide by all              policies and procedures and submit your annual fee on time. You must notify ABC of any          and all changes with your facility within 30 days of the effective changes. Failure to fulfill            any of these requirements may result in the revocation of your accreditation.

      If ABC revises the standards, time frames for compliance will be established and                                                      communicated to all accredited facilities.

Personnel Changes

You are responsible for notifying ABC of employment status changes of all certified and licensed personnel in writing within 30 days of the change. In the event that a personnel change leaves your facility without a qualifying professional, you have six months to replace them and notify ABC of the new personnel. Failure to do so will result in loss of accreditation.

Changing Corporate Structure

If your corporate structure changes, you must submit a letter detailing the change and the effective date along with legal documentation (i.e. new business license, Articles of Incorporation). If you are changing ownership in addition to corporate structure, please see Ownership Changes.

Closing or Selling Your Facility You must notify ABC in writing if you close or sell your facility; notification must be sent within 30 days of the sale or closure. You must also surrender your original ABC accreditation certificate. If you decide to reopen your facility at a later date, you must begin the accreditation process again with a new application and all applicable fees.

Ownership Changes

Adding Owners to Existing Ownership

If you are bringing on an additional owner to your business, you must submit a letter detailing the change and the effective date along with legal documentation (i.e. Articles of Incorporation). A resurvey is not required as long as an existing owner remains.

Removing an Owner from Existing Ownership

If you are removing an owner from the existing ownership, you will need to submit a detailed letter notifying us of the change and the effective date. We will also need copies of the legal documentation (i.e. sale of shares evidence, Articles of Incorporation). A resurvey is not required as long as an existing owner remains.

Complete Change of Ownership

ABC Central Fabrication Accreditation is not transferrable between two different owners. If no existing owners are remaining at the facility, new ownership must submit a new application with a detailed letter, legal documentation of the sale and application fees. The facility must undergo a new onsite survey.

Lawsuits and Disciplinary Actions

You must notify ABC if there are pending lawsuits and/or disciplinary actions against any staff members or your business. You must submit a detailed written statement that includes the following:

• Description of the lawsuit
• Outcome of any charge(s) that were filed against the individual/facility (e.g. verdict)
• Any penalty/sentence associated with charges that have been filed
• When the sentence was or will be completed
• Official court documentation

If the documents are not available, indicate the jurisdiction in which the charge(s), conviction or plea occurred and why the documents are not available.

Complaints Against Accredited Facilities

ABC will investigate any and all complaints involving an ABC accredited facility that appears to be out of compliance with the accreditation standards. ABC requires that you provide ABC’s telephone number to your customers for the purpose of reporting a complaint.

ABC will notify the appropriate regulatory authority if an alleged complaint involves:

• Professional misconduct
• Noncompliance with state or federal laws

You will be informed of all allegations and provided with copies of all complaint-related materials.

If a review of the complaint determines that there is immediate risk to employees or customers, ABC will notify the appropriate governmental and investigative agencies. If the situation does not pose immediate risk, the complaint will be investigated by ABC in accordance with the Code of Professional Responsibility and Rules & Procedures.

Accredited facilities must abide by the Code and depending upon the nature of the complaint, the following actions may be taken:

• Request your cooperation in resolving the complaint
• Request that you respond to the complaint within an identified time frame
• Request information on the corrective action taken

ABC will review all the information collected about the complaint, including any information gathered in a re-survey. If the investigation reveals the complaint or allegations are valid and employees or customers are at risk, accreditation may be revoked or suspended. You may appeal the committee’s decision by following the appeals process.

Thank you for considering ABC’s Central Fabrication Accreditation for your business. We hope that this information provides you with the information you need to determine how this program benefits your business. The goal of this program is to recognize those central fabrication businesses that meet the ABC standards for best business practices and the provision of quality items/devices to practitioners in the O&P profession. If you are the best at what you do, now is your opportunity to prove it with ABC accreditation!