The National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC) supports epilepsy centers in delivering quality care to people with epilepsy, by setting standards of epilepsy care, advocating for access to high quality epilepsy care services, and providing knowledge and resources to its member centers.  The NAEC Policies and Procedures Manual outlines the accreditation process and provides policies to facilitate the accreditation process.  Please contact NAEC at (202) 524-6767 or info@naec-epilepsy.org with any questions or comments about the manual.

To save information in the Center Annual Report click all the way to the last page, enter in some placeholder text in the “Medical Director Signature” field, and click save.  As long as you select “Not complete, still working on it,” you will be able to go back into the report and make changes.

While NAEC encourages different center personnel to complete EMU Caring, the EMU Caring certificate does not expire.  Once completed, you do not have to retake the course.

There is no need to submit updated CVs if your Medical Director, second epileptologist, neurosurgeon, and neuropsychologist have not changed.  However, if you have hired new personnel you will need to upload his/her CV.

There is no separate accreditation fee. All centers must pay the $2000 annual membership dues in order to maintain membership in NAEC. Dues must be paid each year, even for centers with two-year accreditation who are not completing the full accreditation process.

You have come to the right place. As a NAEC member, you have access to a wealth of accreditation resources.

The accreditation process occurs once a year, beginning in November and ending March 1st.  Your center must become a member of NAEC by February 1st to participate in that accreditation cycle.  The Get Accredited section of the NAEC website will provide you with essential information to complete the accreditation process. If you have additional questions, NAEC staff are happy to help. You can reach the NAEC office at (202) 800-7074 or info@naec-epilepsy.org.

Accreditation instructions are sent to member centers every November.

In 2016, NAEC began to accredit epilepsy centers for a period of one or two years. The NAEC Board may opt to fully or conditionally accredit a center as a level 3 or 4 center.  Fully accredited centers meet all accreditation criteria and are accredited for two years.  Conditionally accredited centers are substantially complaint with all criteria but are deficient in at least one criterion specific to their accreditation level (level 3 or 4).  Conditionally accredited centers must correct all identified deficiencies when completing the accreditation process the following year to remain accredited. Centers who fail to meet the accreditation criteria or do not complete the steps of the accreditation process will not be accredited.

 

To move from a level 3 to a level 4 center, simply complete the full accreditation process for the year. Provide all of the required documentation for a level 4 center and attest that your center meets the criteria for a level 4 center when you complete the Center Annual Report.

If your center is in the interim year of its two-year accreditation, please contact NAEC to let us know of your interest.

NAEC reviews specialized epilepsy centers for accreditation once a year. Please contact NAEC if your center would like to reapply for accreditation in the following year.

Accredited centers are welcome to indicate that the center is NAEC accredited and place the level-specific accreditation badge on your website and marketing materials.  Your center’s accreditation notification letter includes the relevant phrasing and appropriate badge for your center.  If you need the badge resent to you, please email info@naec-epilepsy.org.

You will need to pay your annual dues and complete a Center Annual Report by January 31st during the interim year.

Any center with two-year accreditation that does not pay membership dues and submit the Center Annual Report will lose their accreditation and their membership, will be removed from the NAEC directory, and their hospital’s name will not be sent to US News and World Report (if a level 4 center).

NAEC is pleased to recognize the ABRET LTM Lab Accreditation program. Centers with LTM Lab Accreditation should indicate this on their Center Annual Report.  These centers are not required to upload scalp or intracranial video EEG reports to Box.com.

• October 2023: Invoices for 2024 dues sent.
• November 2023: NAEC 2024 Accreditation Process begins: Center Annual Report and Box.com open for submissions.
• January 2024: Webinars and NAEC Annual Meeting presentations to explain criteria and process.
• January 31, 2024: Deadline for completion of Annual Report, uploading of documents, and dues payment.
• February 1-15, 2024: Review and Revise Period: NAEC staff will review submissions for completion and notify centers if anything is missing.
• March 1, 2024: Final deadline for any revisions/additions. We cannot accept dues or materials after this date, with no exceptions.

The 2024 accreditation criteria chart is available here.

More information is available on the Get Accredited page.

All patient reports submitted to NAEC must be properly de-identified. Centers will be notified if any protected health information (PHI) is found in a report and centers will be required to properly de-identify and resubmit all reports before their accreditation application can be processed. If your center does not de-identify appropriately, then your center will not be accredited.

Instructions on how to de-identify reports may be found here.

Yes!  NAEC has published several de-identified protocols that were submitted by NAEC member centers.  Centers are welcome to use these examples when developing these policies for their own centers.  You may access the sample protocols here.