What is the ASAM Level of Care certification?

The ASAM Level of Care Certification program for addiction treatment providers is a unique certification option designed to showcase a behavioral healthcare program's full compliance with The ASAM Criteria. The ASAM Level of Care Certification Program was designed in collaboration with CARF, the nonprofit organization responsible for actual day-to-day administration of the certification process. 

Unlike The Joint Commission’s accreditation program or CARF’s own accreditation program, the ASAM Level of Care Certification program looks specifically at how a program fits into the ASAM Criteria. At this time, the program is only available for certain residential treatment programs, however, that may change in the future. More on this below.

(Note: If you’re looking for more information about TJC or CARF’s accreditation programs, please see our other post, How and Why to Get CARF and Joint Commission Accreditation for Your Addiction Treatment Center.)

What levels of care are included in the joint CARF-ASAM Level of Care Certification? 

Only Level 3 organizations that offer residential addiction treatment may apply for an ASAM Level of Care certification with a CARF assessment at this time. Level 3 organizations include: clinically managed low-intensity residential (level of care 3.1), clinically managed high-intensity residential (level of care 3.5), and medically managed residential (level of care 3.7). 

Inpatient, IOP/HIOP, outpatient, and sober living homes are not currently eligible to undergo an assessment through the collaborative ASAM-CARF partnership program. ASAM has hinted that more levels of care will be added to the Level of Care certification program “soon” but so far details on that timeline are vague at best.

When did CARF begin doing ASAM Level of Care assessments? What other addiction treatment projects have these two organizations worked on together?

CARF and ASAM began their Level of Care certification program in spring of 2020 and revised it in 2023. 

ASAM established itself as the authority in defining the levels of care of addiction treatment in the 1950’s, while CARF has been a standard bearer in the human services field since the mid-1960’s. Looking at the way these two organization are structured, it’s easy to see why they would come together to administer the Level of Care assessment program.  

CARF, short for the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, is a non-profit organization that is already set up to do assessments of behavioral healthcare organizations. On the other hand, ASAM, also known as the American Society of Addiction Medicine, was established to represent addiction treatment providers but it is not designed to do evaluations of organizational standards in the field. Instead, ASAM harnesses the latest research in addiction medicine to establish “best practices” that are used as reference points by policy makers, payers, and many other important stakeholders. 

In addition to the Level of Care assessment program, CARF and ASAM worked together to release the fourth edition of ASAM’s Level of Care Certification Manual. This manual combines CARF’s risk management assessment know-how with ASAM’s clinical authority. 

Why seek an ASAM Level of Care certification with a CARF assessment?

Behavioral healthcare organizations report many benefits to obtaining an ASAM Level of Care certification. Among those already noted, we frequently hear from clients one or more of the following benefits:

• Demonstrate evidence-based capabilities to payers, regulators, referral partners, community stakeholders, and patients

• Make it easier to ensure that treatment plans and EHR charts establish medical necessity for the level of care provided

• Identify any quality assurance or placement issues and get ahead of the problem proactively

• Document your organization’s culture of evidence-based practice, patient safety, and continuous improvement

• Improve utilization and optimization of EMRs and/or EHRs throughout the organization

• Create an educational opportunity for your workforce, as the certification process easily lends itself to the creation of better training for new and existing staff 

• Strong impetus to review, revise, and improve written policies and procedures 

• Trigger a thorough streamlining of operations overall and create consistency across your organization

• Communicate and underscore your organization’s fidelity to the ASAM Criteria  

Has ASAM made any changes to the Level of Care certification program recently? If so, what are they?

Yes, changes have been made as recently as 2023. 

ASAM released an entire PDF booklet describing all of the rating element changes that were implemented for the Level of Care certification program beginning in 2023. These changes affect such touchpoints as Program DIrector credentials, emergency response procedures, continuity of care as it pertains to pharmacotherapy, expectations around physical exams on days that are not weekdays (weekends and holidays), expectations for biopsychosocial assessment checks, therapy standards surrounding couples therapy, and documentation procedures. 

Each level of care saw different changes in 2023, but the 3.7 Level of Care, also known as medically managed residential, saw the most changes of any LOC category. 3.7 LOC facilities faced extra changes such as alterations to the expectations governing multidisciplinary teams as well as changes to nursing assessment guidelines.

The ASAM Level of Care Certification is a worthwhile investment for your addiction treatment center

Getting the ASAM Level of Care Certification is a lengthy and involved process, but it’s ultimately well worth the trouble.

Need help collecting information for the application?

Need help getting organized ahead of an onsite survey?

Our Behave360 Professional Services can help with licensing, accreditation, compliance, and much more. The ASAM Level of Care Certification is just one of the many certification and accreditation programs we can assist with.

If you’re still in the preparation phase for applying for certification, you may be interested in upgrading your EMR system to a more functional, easier-to-manage option. Let Behave Health’s all-in-one software tame the chaos at your organization. Start your free trial today and see why so many addiction treatment centers trust Behave Health to handle admissions, electronic health records, billing, and property management concerns.