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. 

Supporting States    

NCQA provides more than Accreditation programs. Our relationships with states, providers and federal agencies create a natural alignment across interstate agencies and around common principles to advance high-quality behavioral health services and support long-term sustainability in Medicaid programs. We are a complete policy solution package for publicly funded health care programs.  

Other benefits of our Accreditation include:  

• Decreased burden on state staff to meet federal requirements. NCQA provides an independent third-party review through our established standards development and surveying infrastructure along with education on the standards and survey process for CCBHCs. 
• Increased confidence in the quality of care and services provided. Meets SAMHSA’s requirements for CCBHCs. Objective standard review provides motivation for organizations to commit to ongoing quality monitoring and improvement where payment models and incentives fall short.  
• Demonstrates the value of integrated primary care and behavioral health care to funders. Harnesses NCQA’s long-standing method of developing program standards and quality measures in tandem to promote organizational behavior that aligns with evidence-based practices for quality improvement. NCQA programs are designed to demonstrate the business case for quality to payers and funders.  
• Documentation supports state CCBHC oversight through data extracts and reports. As CCBHCs transition to sustainability in state Medicaid programs, supportive documentation will be critical for aligning with Medicaid requirements for CCBHC payment.