Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers are an exciting new type of care provider. Last year, the National Council put together a useful guide to evaluating organizational readiness that breaks down the requirements and standards of the CCBHC process.
Is Your Organization Ready to Become a CCBHC?
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CCBHC’s rigorous standards are forward-thinking, whole-patient oriented, and perhaps a bit daunting. Luckily, existing digital technologies make it easy to add value to your organization and help fulfill requirements for the following CCBHC principles (quotations taken from the National Council Guide).
- Availability and accessibility of services — CCBHCs help overcome health care disparities by rejecting the traditional “four-wall approach” to health care delivery. Services should be flexible and widely accessible, working with consumers’ needs rather than forcing consumers into rigid structures. Web and mobile technologies make accessibility easy, reaching clients where they are and at the level of support they need.
- Care coordination — Care coordination is the cornerstone of the CCBHC program. Care must be coordinated across setting and provider organization types to guarantee seamless transition for patients across the range of services – acute, chronic and behavioral health needs. myStrength is a flexible platform with a variety of applications for SMI, general wellness, rehabilitation, and more. myStrength’s all-in-one approach makes coordination simple by extending self-care resources without additional demands on staff time.
- Patient-centered and Trauma Informed Care — A CCBHC embraces the principles of Trauma Informed Care and puts the client and his/her community and family at the center of recovery. myStrength is a self-help/management tool that empowers consumers to be active participants in their recovery. Many myStrength activities are based in and/or appropriate to TIC for consumers as well as supporting staff well-being.
- Quality and other reporting — Data collection, use and reporting are vital for assessment and improvement of CCBHC program quality and required as a condition of participation in the demonstration program. myStrength collects metrics including engagement and clinical outcomes and shares these data with partners in easy-to-digest reports.
- Current and High-Quality Practices — Organizations meeting the CCBHC standards will need to demonstrate the provision of comprehensive and high-quality services in a manner reflecting evidence-based and best practices in the field. They should embrace change and be constantly innovating. myStrength and learning platforms like Relias Learning help keep staff up-to-date with current best practices and evidence-based interventions. These programs encourage an organizational culture of learning and innovation.