Strategies for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics  

NCQA is using our experience and capacity as a national accreditor to expand our behavioral health Accreditation and Recognition products to include Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. This new CCBHC program is designed to help organizations meet the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) CCBHC Certification criteria through a standardized survey process. Our survey staff can provide prompt assistance to support CCBHCs during Certification, including presurvey training, help desk support and a self-assessment tool to ensure CCBHC readiness. By using existing staff and capacity, NCQA can provide this program to CCBHCs and states at a reasonable cost, maximizing the use of federal funding for behavioral health care. 

Other benefits of our Accreditation include:  

• Support CCBHCs as they transform their model of care. NCQA has vast experience helping organizations transform patient care through our PCMH Recognition program. To help CCBHCs provide the highest-quality care possible, NCQA will leverage best practices from the PCMH model of care to CCBHCs.  
• Support state oversight of all CCBHCs in the state. We offer support to states with multiple CCBHCs participating in NCQA’s program, such as additional data/measure collection and dashboards highlight CCBHC’s progress. As CCBHCs transition to sustainability in state Medicaid programs, supporting documentation will be critical for aligning with Medicaid requirements for CCBHC payment.  
• Decrease the burden on state staff, and increase opportunities to support CCBHCs. By leveraging NCQA’s independent third-party survey infrastructure and educational materials, states can decrease the burden on staff, freeing them to support CCBHCs in other ways.  
• Increase confidence in the quality of care and services provided. NCQA has streamlined and simplified the evidence process to demonstrate meeting SAMHSA standards, increasing confidence in CCBHCs and their ability to meet criteria. Clear, objective, ongoing standard reviews can motivate organizations to commit to continuous quality monitoring and improvement.