Please check our 32 requirements to become an ACARE.
The first step is to read our list of requirements carefully. Do you fulfil most of them?
The second step is to prepare a Power Point presentation of the center. To do so, please fill in the Power Point document “Center Presentation for Audit_PP template“. These materials should show how your center meets the 32 ACARE criteria and may include photos, certificates, and any other documents that you feel are appropriate to send to the auditor (please keep confidentiality laws in mind!).This presentation is mandatory for the audit.
When you have the presentation ready, please click the Apply Here button below.
Together with the application, upload your Center Presentation in the application form and send it to us.
Please note that starting on June 15, the premium access to become an ACARE will be phased out. After this date, all prospective centers have to go through the full audit process.
A member of the ACARE office will get in touch with you after. We will check your presentation and explain the next steps. Applicant centers will be added to the ACARE website when the date of the audit is set.
It depends on which requirement is missing. Many are non-negotiable, for instance that a center treats patients of all ages. However, if the requirement is something that would be improved by your center joining the network, exceptions might be made. If you’re not sure, feel free to reach out to us: audits(at)ga2len.berlin
The process of becoming a member of ACARE involves an audit in which an auditor from a certified ACARE center will determine if and how your center meets the 32 ACARE criteria.
Once the ACARE Office has reviewed the application and the center’s presentation, we will look for an auditor.
We ask if you already have an auditor in mind – any head and deputy of a certified ACARE center can be an auditor. If not, we are of course happy to find one for you. Once an auditor is found, we will connect you and leave you to find a convenient date.
First ACARE audits should be performed on site. In special cases, audits by video conference are possible. For example, if the auditor has recently visited the applicant center in person or will visit at the next opportunity or the pandemic situation requires it. Videoconference audits need to be approved by the ACARE office before the audit.
A video conference platform should be used for the audit on remote and the ACARE office will be happy to help if auditors or applicant ACAREs do not have access to such a platform. The ACARE office is ready to answer any questions on remote auditing that applicant centers may have.
For both cases (on site or on remote audit) up to 2 hours should be scheduled for the audit meeting.
After the audit visit, the ACARE steering committee will review the audit report that your auditor filled out and the ACARE office will inform you about the results. If the audit was successful, you will receive a ACARE certificate from us that is valid for two years.
If the audit was not successful, you will receive an explanation on which criteria your center should work on, after which another audit can be performed.
Watch a short video on the whole process here:
Congratulations! We are happy to welcome you to the network: We will upload a corresponding ACARE Certificate to our member area SHASAF, and your center will be listed on our ACARE website as a certified ACARE. See question 13 for more details.
Now: Get involved and help to let the ACARE network flourish and grow!
- Be an active network member:
- Please bring other angioedema experts into the network by spreading the word about the network and by performing audits
- Take part in our scientific studies or initiate your own ACARE studies
- Become a speaker in one of our ACARE educational formats
Do you have an idea for an interesting podcast topic, or a webinar? Let us know! Please also make note of the many patient education programs run by our partner organization HAEi, such as the advocacy day HAEi Day. Don’t forget to share our content with the other physicians and nurses in your center. Please follow us on Social Media and share our content with your network!
LinkedIn | Reddit | TikTok | YouTube
The first audit certificate is generally valid for 2 years. After the first re-audit, the certificate is valid for 3 years. From the second re-audit onwards, it will be 4 years and thus the maximum period of validity will have been reached. Your ACARE must therefore be recertified every 4 years after the 3rd audit.
We ask you to please contact us at least 3 months before your certificate expires, so that we will have enough time to organize your re-audit. As with the initial audit, we will ask you if you have a potential auditor for your center in mind. If not, we will look for one. Please note that for transparency purposes, the auditor for your re-audit cannot be the same one as for your first audit. We will supply a re-audit report, which lists your center details and shows the result of your last audit. If during your first audit areas with need for further improvement were identified, there will be a special focus on them during the re-audit. We ask you to please complete the audit report on pages 2 to 4 (Activities of the ACARE since the last certification). If there were areas that needed improvement since the last audit, please send us a brief presentation showing how these criteria were met. The audit team can also send you a short template to complete. Criteria that have already been met do not need to be outlined again in a presentation. Please upload both documents to your personal center circle on our sharing platform Shasaf . Only when we have received these documents and deemed them complete, a re-audit date will be set.
In general, we ask you to notify us of all changes to your center via email (audits(at)ga2len.berlin). If all the requirements are still met, then no, as we certify the centers and its activities, not the individual physician. However, if by leaving the center there is no-one left to take on the role of head, then the center will not be listed anymore. However, our door is always open, and we would love to have your center rejoin the network as soon as possible!
Yes! We will do our best to coordinate a multiple-center-audit with you. For double or triple audits involving ADCARE, ANACARE or ARIACARE please contact us via email under audits(at)ga2len.berlin. Please note that all certificates are still separate and undergoing a double or triple audit does not guarantee certifications for all Centers of Excellence if the requirements are not fully met for each Core.
If your application/the audit was unsuccessful, you will be told exactly why. If these issues can be resolved in the future, you can of course apply again as soon as all is set and preferably the initial auditor will perform a new audit!
No, of course not. We understand that life gets in the way sometimes, so just please inform us of your decision. If you ever want to pick up again at some point, feel free to get in touch with us later.
You can get in touch with the ACARE office at audits(at)ga2len.berlin. We will be happy to answer all your questions. If you are experiencing technical difficulties with the application form, we are to happy to send one to you via email.
Our sharing platform Shasaf is a member area and sharing platform where you can access general ACARE information and where you have access to your individual center area where you can see, comment on and sign documents pertaining to your center or scientific projects you are involved in. In addition, we will upload your application, audit documentation, letter of audit result and audit certificate there. Shasaf is a safe document sharing platform, and only authorized members will be able to see data pertaining to them. You will get an initial invitation with a prompt to create a profile. We strongly recommend that you utilize Two-Factor-Authentification with an app called authy.
Need another circle e.g. for a scientific project? Contact us at info@ga2len-ucare.com!
Shasaf is a safe document sharing platform, and only authorized members will be able to see data pertaining to them. You will get an initial invitation from Shasaf with a prompt to create a profile. We strongly recommend that you utilize Two-Factor-Authentification with a mobile app called Authy for iOS and Android.
If you experience any issues regarding your account, Authy, or other system functionalities and features, you are always welcome to reach out to the Shasaf support team at support@shasaf.com or +45 71 997 997.
Please take a look at our video tutorial on how to use Shasaf.
Please note your center presentation is necessary prior to applying.
See FAQ question 2 for further information.
