Introduction

CARF recently convened an International Standards Advisory Committee (ISAC) to develop new accreditation standards for an Integrated Primary Care specialty designation. A specialty designation requires a program seeking accreditation to meet an additional set of standards that reflects its expertise in a specific type of service delivery or for a specific population of persons served. Integrating primary care into a mental health or substance use disorder program allows the program to holistically address the behavioral health, physical health, and social needs of the persons served, enhance the level of care provided, and improve outcomes for the persons served. Through the efforts of the ISAC, the program standards for Health Home were also updated. The final standards will be published in CARF’s 2026 standards manuals for Behavioral Health, Child and Youth Services, and Opioid Treatment Programs.

About this Field Review

This field review includes 14 standards for an Integrated Primary Care specialty designation and 7 standards for a Health Home program. Depending on the primary standards manual your organization would use to seek accreditation, you would use to conduct surveys, or you otherwise have an interest in, please see below for additional information on application of the new standards. You may review either or both sets of standards.
Behavioral Health Standards Manual (BH) Child and Youth Services Standards Manual (CYS) Opioid Treatment Program Standards Manual (OTP)
An Integrated Primary Care specialty designation may be sought in conjunction with these programs in the BH standards manual.
  • Assertive Community Treatment
  • Case Management/Services Coordination
  • Community Housing
  • Community Integration
  • Court Treatment
  • Crisis Programs
  • Day Treatment
  • Health Home
  • Inpatient Treatment
  • Intensive Family-Based Services
  • Intensive Outpatient Treatment
  • Office-Based Opioid Treatment Program
  • Outpatient Treatment
  • Partial Hospitalization
  • Residential Treatment
  • Specialized or Treatment Foster Care
  • Student Counseling
  • Supported Living
  • Therapeutic Communities
  • Withdrawal Management
Program descriptions may be found at https://carf.org/accreditation/programs/behavioral-health/.
An Integrated Primary Care specialty designation may be sought in conjunction with these programs in the CYS standards manual.
  • Case Management/Services Coordination
  • Community Transition
  • Community Youth Development
  • Community Housing
  • Counseling/Outpatient
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Crisis Stabilization
  • Day Treatment
  • Detoxification/Withdrawal Support
  • Early Childhood Development
  • Foster Family/Kinship Care
  • Group Home
  • Health Home
  • Home and Community Services
  • Intensive Family-Based Services
  • Intensive Outpatient Treatment
  • Residential Treatment
  • Shelters
  • Specialized or Treatment Foster Care
Program descriptions may be found at https://carf.org/accreditation/programs/child-youth/.
An Integrated Primary Care specialty designation may be sought in conjunction with these programs in the OTP standards manual.
  • Withdrawal Management
  • Outpatient Treatment
  • Residential Treatment
  • Court Treatment
  • Day Treatment
  • Health Home
  • Intensive Outpatient Treatment
  • Office-Based Opioid Treatment Program
Program descriptions may be found at https://carf.org/accreditation/programs/opioid-treatment/.
An organization seeking accreditation for an Integrated Primary Care specialty designation will also meet the following standards in the primary standards manual (BH, CYS, or OTP):
An organization seeking accreditation for a Health Home will also meet the following standards:
  • Section 1. ASPIRE to Excellence
  • Section 2. General Program Standards
  • Section 5. Integrated Primary Care Specialty Designation
If you have questions about this field review, or would like to access other standards that are not open for comment but may facilitate your review of these standards, contact:
We value your time and opinion and invite you to provide comments on each of the proposed descriptions and standards. Especially if you disagree with what is proposed, please provide an explanation and constructive feedback about what could be improved.

If you would like to share this field review with others in your network, please forward the invitation email.

Deadline for Submission

The deadline to submit comments on this field review is Tuesday, February 25.

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