Open the program and get it accredited, in one plan.

Who it's for

• New SUD or mental health programs whose target plans require accreditation for IOP or PHP contracts, or that want to serve TRICARE families.
• Owners who want one team accountable from the feasibility check to the accreditation decision letter, with 12 months of support after opening.

Already open and only need the survey work? Accreditation readiness is $9,500 on its own, and a mock survey is $3,500.

Everything included

• Everything in IOP / PHP Program Launch
• Accreditation readiness: gap assessment against the standards
• Application and survey scheduling support
• Staff training and tracer practice
• A full mock survey before the real one
• Corrective-action plan support after the survey
• 12 months of support after opening

Bought separately, the program launch and accreditation readiness come to $34,000. This package is $32,500, with twice the support after opening.

Why accreditation, and when

• It's usually a payer requirement, not a state one. The Texas license comes from HHSC; accreditation comes from The Joint Commission or CARF. TRICARE requires IOP and PHP programs to be accredited (Joint Commission, CARF or COA), and many commercial plans contract only with accredited programs.
• You need charts first. Surveyors trace real clients through your program, so you apply once you're open and serving clients. The gap assessment and policy fixes start well before that.
• Choosing between the two. Both are widely accepted. We compare the standards, fees and timing for your program and your target plans before you apply.
• After the survey, if surveyors find standards not met, you send proof of the fixes by the accreditor's deadline (Joint Commission calls it Evidence of Standards Compliance; CARF asks for a Quality Improvement Plan). When the decision letter arrives, it goes to every plan that was waiting for it.

Price and how it's paid

When	Share	Amount
At signing	25%	$8,125
When the license application is filed	25%	$8,125
When the license is issued	25%	$8,125
At the accreditation survey	25%	$8,125
Total	100%	$32,500

If you need more

• More insurance plans: 10 facility contracts are included; each extra plan is $450.
• Keeping credentials current after opening: $49 per clinician a month (CAQH re-attestation, renewals, recredentialing and revalidation).
• Started with a launch roadmap session? Its $395 is credited in full toward this package if you sign within 30 days.

Typical timeline

On the earliest path through our Texas roadmap, the first admission comes in about 6 months, the mock survey and the real survey follow within the next couple of months, and the decision letter after any follow-up. Then the plans that require accreditation can contract with you. Accreditors and plans set their own schedules, so these are typical, not promised.

Step	Typical timing
Kickoff and your dated roadmap	Week 1
Business formed with the Texas Secretary of State (you or your attorney file)	Week 4
Policy and procedure manual written	Weeks 5–10
Cima EHR Program plan set up	Weeks 13–15
Site leased, after the city confirms zoning	Weeks 13–16
Individual NPI for each clinician	Weeks 15–16
Team hired and verified	Months 4–5
HHSC facility license application filed	Months 4–6
Soft opening, mock admission and fire drill	Months 6–7
HHSC compliance inspection	Months 6–7
Facility contracts with the insurance plans	Months 6–9
First admission	Month 7
Mock accreditation survey	Month 7
Accreditation survey	Months 7–8
Accreditation decision	Months 8–10
Each plan's effective date confirmed	Month 10
Billing each plan from its effective date	Month 10

From the kickoff, on the earliest path through our 118-step Texas roadmap. Agencies and insurance plans set their own pace, so treat these as typical, not promised.

What you pay separately

The accreditor's own fees, and the state's, go directly to them:

Step	Fee and who charges it
File the certificate of formation with the Texas Secretary of State	$300 filing fee (Texas Secretary of State)
File an assumed name certificate if you'll use another name	$25 filing fee (Texas Secretary of State) (changes; we check the current fee)
Get an EIN from the IRS	Free
Get a CLIA certificate of waiver for in-office tests	Small fee every two years; check CMS's current fee (changes; we check the current fee)
Apply for the Texas HHSC chemical dependency treatment facility license	$1,200 base fee + $125 per additional site (HHSC, 26 TAC 564) (changes; we check the current fee)
Apply for accreditation	Joint Commission: $1,700 application deposit; on-site survey from about $3,330; annual fee from about $1,930 (Joint Commission fact sheet). CARF: check CARF's current fees (changes; we check the current fee)
Keep accreditation current between surveys	Joint Commission annual fee from about $1,930 (Joint Commission fact sheet) (changes; we check the current fee)

• The Joint Commission figures come from its behavioral health care fact sheet; check the current amounts when you apply.
• Plus the building, insurance, a medical director's fee, payroll before opening and working capital, as in the program launch.

What's not included

• The accreditation decision itself. Only the accreditor decides. We prepare you to pass the first time, and help with any follow-up, but no one can promise the result.
• Monthly compliance after your support ends (chart audits, policy updates, quarterly mock tracers): the program compliance partner, $3,500 per month.
• Finding the building or the people, and legal, tax or clinical advice.

Questions

Joint Commission or CARF?

Both are widely accepted, and TRICARE takes either (or COA). The choice usually comes down to your target plans, how the standards fit your program, fees and survey timing. We lay those out side by side before you apply.

Can we be accredited before we open?

Not fully. The survey looks at how you actually care for clients, so you apply after opening, once there are charts to review. Everything else, from the policy manual to drills and staff training, is ready before your first admission.

Why is a quarter of the fee due at the survey?

So you pay as the work lands: 25% at signing, 25% when the license application is filed, 25% when the license is issued and 25% at the accreditation survey.