Community behavioral health organizations provide vital services that make a profound difference in the lives of individuals and communities. Within the behavioral health field in general, and community behavioral health in particular, we are witnessing major changes in the way services are defined, designed, delivered, and financed. As a result, community behavioral health organizations are being challenged to demonstrate value as they respond to significant public policy changes while meeting an increasingly complex array of community health needs. Community Health Solutions provides research, consultation, and learning support to help community behavioral health organizations:
- Assess community health needs,
- Develop integrated care models,
- Strengthen clinical-community linkages,
- Evaluate quality, costs, and outcomes,
- Conduct data-driven policy analysis, and
- Demonstrate community value.
1. Assess Community Health Needs
Community behavioral health organizations need data on community health to inform service planning and strategic planning. At Community Health Solutions we have developed a unique portfolio of community behavioral health indicators that providers can use to identify needs at the state, city, county, and in some cases even the neighborhood level. Some indicators are generated directly from existing data sources, while others are developed using statistical estimation methodologies. We help community behavioral health organizations use community data and other sources of community insight to plan their services and develop their strategies for the future.
2. Develop Integrated Care Models
One of the most important areas of innovation in community behavioral health is the development of integrated care models in which consumers receive primary care and behavioral health services within a seamless model of care. Integrated care is recognized as an essential option for consumers who need to manage both physical and behavioral health conditions. Developing an integrated care model requires focused, collaborative innovation between primary care providers and behavioral health providers to assure that services are effectively designed to meet the needs of specific populations. Community Health Solutions provides research, consultation and learning support to help organizations design and implement integrated care models.
3. Develop Community Systems of Care
Community behavioral health organizations deliver tremendous value, but they cannot meet every need on their own. Multiple organizations must take responsibility for addressing community needs, and this works best when organizations are strategically aligned through community systems of care. We help communities strengthen systems of care by supporting the process of community strategy design. Specifically, we support communities through the process of convening key stakeholders, identifying community health needs, optimizing services, collaborating for impact, and assuring quality. We also help communities evaluate impact and demonstrate the value of a systems of care approach.
4. Evaluate Quality, Costs, and Outcomes
Population health requires new approaches to quality improvement and impact evaluation. For community behavioral health organizations, the challenge lies in measuring quality, costs, and outcomes for defined groups of consumers such as those enrolled in Medicaid. This capability is necessary to optimize patient health and to assure that payment levels are aligned with costs. Creating this capability requires collaboration across clinical and financial units of the organization. Community Health Solutions provides research, consultation, and learning support to help community behavioral health organizations evaluate quality, costs, and outcomes for defined patient populations.
5. Conduct Data-Driven Policy Analysis
Community behavioral health is highly influenced by public policy changes. It is imperative to assure that public policies are defined and implemented in ways that support consumers and the organizations that serve them. Community Health Solutions helps behavioral health organizations analyze the community impact of policies made at the federal, state, and local level. Our approach combines the insights of local stakeholders with innovative data models to produce community-specific impact assessments. The results can by used to inform strategic responses to public policy changes.
6. Demonstrate Community Value
Public officials, grant funders, and community stakeholders want to know that the resources invested in community behavioral health are producing valuable results. Consequently, community behavioral health organizations are being challenged to demonstrate the value of the services they provide for their communities. Community Health Solutions has developed a practical model called community value analysis for helping these organizations define and communicate the value they deliver. We support the model by providing training, data, tools, and technical assistance. Examples of our clients using community value analysis can be found here, here, and here.
To learn more about our support services for community behavioral health organizations, contact Caitlin Feller at cfeller@chsresults.com or 804.673.0166.