Introduction to Standards of Team Care for Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Teams

Cleft and craniofacial teams are comprised of experienced and qualified professionals from medical, surgical, dental, and allied health disciplines working in an interdisciplinary and coordinated system. The purpose and goal of a team is to ensure that timely, evidence-based care is provided in a coordinated and consistent manner with the proper sequencing of evaluations and treatments within the framework of the patient’s overall developmental, medical, and psychosocial needs.

The American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association (ACPA) has developed an approval process for teams in order to provide:

  • Standards that identify essential characteristics of quality for team composition and functioning in the context of collaborating healthcare systems in order to facilitate the improvement of team care.
  • Accurate information to patients and families/caregivers regarding services provided by those teams that meet specified standards.

These standards are based on the ACPA Parameters of Care, which have received widespread peer-review, and represent expectations for approval of teams providing care to individuals with clefts and craniofacial differences.

It is important to note that Team approval is a voluntary and non-exclusionary process. There is no judgment or statement of quality made about established Teams that have not selected to apply for approval; nor is holding approval required in order for health care professionals to organize and advertise themselves as a team. However, all Teams that do choose to undergo an external evaluation and report compliance with the standards for team care will be listed by ACPA as approved Teams. ACPA Approved Teams are the teams ACPA encourages patients and families to consider first for cleft and craniofacial healthcare needs.

The ACPA has established standards for care and have identified the following seven components as essential to the quality of care provided by interdisciplinary teams of health care specialists to patients with cleft lip/palate or craniofacial differences, regardless of the specific diagnosis:

  • Team Composition
  • Team Management and Responsibilities
  • Patient and Family/Caregiver Communication
  • Transition and Adult Care
  • Social Drivers of Health
  • Psychological and Social Services
  • Outcomes Assessment