The Alphabet Soup RESOURCES

CMS – Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services - www.cms.hhs.gov
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is a Federal agency wihin the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Programs for which CMS is responsible include Medicare, Medicaid, State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), HIPAA, and CLIA.

AHCA - American Health Care Association - www.ahca.org
The American Health Care Association (AHCA) is a non-profit federation of affiliated state health organizations, together representing nearly 12,000 non-profit and for-profit assisted living, nursing facility, developmentally-disabled, and subacute care providers that care for more than 1.5 million elderly and disabled individuals nationally. AHCA represents the long term care community to the nation at large – to government, business leaders, and the general public. It also serves as a force for change within the long term care field, providing information, education, and administrative tools that enhance quality at every level.

NCCAP – National Council for Certification of Activity Professionals – www. NCCAP.org
The National Certification Council for Activity Professionals (NCCAP) is one of the Certifying Bodies recognized by Federal law, and incorporated in many state regulations. NCCAP is the ONLY national organization that exclusively certifies activity professionals who work with the elderly. Our Mission: The National Certification Council for Activity Professionals is a credentialing body, which sets standards and criteria to ensure that those we serve have optimal life experiences.
NCTRC – National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification – www.nctrc.org

NCTRC establishes evaluative standards for the certification and recertification of therapeutic recreation professionals; grants certification to individuals who voluntarily apply and meet established criteria, and monitors adherence to these standards by certified therapeutic recreation professionals. The Mission of NCTRC is: To protect the consumer of therapeutic recreation services by promoting the provision of quality therapeutic recreation services by NCTRC certificants.

NAAP – National Association of Activity Professionals - www.thenaap.com
NAAP is the only national group that represents activity professionals in geriatric settings exclusively. NAAP serves as a catalyst for both professional and personal growth and has come to be recognized by government officials as the voice of the activity profession on national issues concerning long-term care facilities, retirement living, assisted living, adult day services, and senior citizen centers. The quality of life of the client/resident/participant/patient served is the primary reason for our services.

NCCA - National Commission for Certifying Agencies - www.noca.org
NCCA is the accreditation body of NOCA. Certification programs may apply and be accredited by the NCCA if they demonstrate compliance with each accreditation standard. The NCCA helps to ensure the health, welfare, and safety of the public through the accreditation of a variety of certification programs/organizations that assess professional competency.

JCAHO – Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations - www.jcaho.org
The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 16,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, not-for-profit organization, JCAHO is the nation's predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Since 1951, JCAHO has developed state-of-the-art, professionally based standards and evaluated the compliance of health care organizations against these benchmarks.


ATRA – American Therapeutic Recreation Association – www.atra-tr.org
ATRA is the largest, national membership organization representing the interests and need of recreational therapists. Recreational therapists are health care providers using recreational therapy interventions for improved functioning of individuals with illness or disabling conditions.

HIPAA - The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
HIPAA is the acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is responsible for implementing various unrelated provisions of HIPAA, therefore HIPAA may mean different things to different people. The Administrative Simplification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA, Title II) require the Department of Health and Human Services to establish national standards for electronic health care transactions and national identifiers for providers, health plans, and employers. It also addresses the security and privacy of health data. Adopting these standards will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the nation's health care system by encouraging the widespread use of electronic data interchange in health care.

“The Web”
www.secondwind.org - Second Wind Dreams' mission is to fulfill the dreams of those living in eldercare communities, thereby enhancing their quality of life and improving the perception of aging.
www.edenalt.com - The Eden Alternative – A philosophy of elder care dedicated to the elimination of loneliness, helplessness, and boredom.
www.Recreationtherapy.com
www.activitytherapy.com
www.starlifeservices.com
www.angelfire.com/in/shoestring2
www.nursinghomesmagazine.com
www.dictionary.com
www.elderswithoutwalls.com
www.puzzlemaker.com
www.muscles2function.com
www.activitydirector.com
www.senioract.com
Activitytherapy.Makesparties.com