Webinar Recap: CCHBC Certification Criteria

On March 18, 2020, we hosted the webinar CCHBC Certification Criteria: Hiring, Training, and Reporting.

Two Relians, Melissa Lewis-Stoner, MSW, LCSW-C,  Director, HHS Product Management, and Rola Aamar, PhD, LMFTA, Clinical Effectiveness Consultant, provided valuable insight on how to:

• Collect and report on clinical and patient data
• Implement and manage the CCBHC model of delivery
• Leverage a culture of learning and training to support your team throughout the CCBHC transition
• Implement CCBHC-aligned board member and staff training plans

The webinar provided insight into the requirements for organizations pursuing the CCBHC Expansion Grant, the newest Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) grant available through The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). While organizations needed to apply for the grant by March 10, 2020, they will have 4 months to meet the requirements after receiving their official grant award later this year.

CCBHC – A Shift in Community Based Behavioral Health Services

One of the main goals of CCBHCs is to improve outcomes and provide higher quality care to those receiving services. By requiring CCBHCs to employ components like evidence-based best practices, care coordination, and measuring and reporting outcomes, SAMHSA helps clinics focus on strategies proven to improve organizational operations and clinical services.

How Relias Can Help Clinics Become CCBHCs

Employing Evidence-Based Best Practices

• Clinical decision support (clinical considerations)
• Consulting services with expert clinical team
• Integrated with learning

Data-driven Decision Making for Coordinating Care

• Integrated care patient registries
• Patient-specific health action plans
• Proprietary risk scoring algorithm

Measuring and Reporting to Promote Quality and Sustainability

• Performance measuring and QI monitoring
• Prebuilt large inventory of measures
• Financial insights

In the webinar, Dr. Aamar discussed the specific CCBHC reporting measures and how Relias can help organizations track those measures and use that information to gain valuable insight into their operations.

Using the data and insights gained through the Relias Platform, CCHBCs can employ evidence-based best practices in the most effective manner, help drive data-driven, care coordinated decision making and promote a culture of continuous quality improvement.

“As a result of becoming a CCBHC, we have partnered with a data mining firm to develop dashboards for all CCBHC quality measures. We are able to see real-time progress toward outcomes by comparing time frames and can drill down from location specific data all the way to client and clinician specific information to determine where we are successful and where additional efforts are needed.” – OK CCBHC Agency Staff Member

Culture of Learning and Development

By creating a culture of learning and continuous development, organizations can set themselves up for success in many areas of CCBHC focus. Whether it’s staying up-to-date on regulatory training requirements, staff training on evidence-based best practices to support continuous quality improvement initiatives, using education and training to address cultural competency issues, or even training on military culture if serving a veteran population, the goal of any organization is to build a “transformative” culture of learning.

How can this be done? By:

• Leveraging personnel assessments to: select the best person for the job, personalize the onboarding experience, and develop staff in a way that’s right for you and them
• Utilizing high quality training and personalized learning to promote a culture of continuous knowledge development
• Using data to identify areas in need of improvement, while also recognizing high-quality performers and using them most effectively

The Relias Learning Management Solution and Assessment platform helps in all of these areas.

Relias’ depth and breadth of content ensures organizations can train on their identified areas of improvement. Example content areas include:

• Trauma-informed care
• Mental health and substance use disorders for all ages
• Integrated care
• Suicide assessment and intervention
• Evidence based practices (CBT, DBT, MI, MAT, AC, WRAP)
• Peer support
• Veterans/military care

By leveraging the learning management system (LMS), workforce tools, and Relias-built sample training crosswalks (including one for CCBHCs), creating specialized training plans is a seamless experience.

Achieving CCBHC designation can seem intimidating, but using online technology can assist you in reaching this incredible milestone.