In the heart of Louisiana, the Acadiana Area Human Services District (AAHSD) stands as a beacon of public service excellence. Governed by a dedicated board of directors, AAHSD operates five clinics across the region, delivering essential behavioral health and developmental disability services in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Health. Since its inception, AAHSD has upheld the highest standards of quality.

Since 2012, AAHSD has partnered with Qualifacts to effectively meet state and federal reporting requirements, enhance client outcomes, and deliver quality care to those in need—all while using its CareLogic EHR platform.

In September 2022, AAHSD was awarded a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Planning, Development, and Implementation Grant (CCBHC–PDI) from SAMSHA to support the transformation of their organization into a CCBHC in the state of Louisiana. AAHSD was in a great position to begin the meticulous process of meeting SAMHSA CCBHC compliance standards. Their existing services aligned with CCBHC goals, and their CareLogic EHR was robust and designed with CCBHCs in mind, so they had a head start in the rigorous effort. Being new to the CCBHC program, AAHSD leaned into its partnership with Qualifacts and worked closely with its support team and dedicated CCBHC Program Manager, Mary Givens. Together, they effectively and efficiently mapped workflows and data entry to align with AAHSD’s best practices while meeting SAMHSA’s CCBHC criteria while undergoing its transformation.

Having successfully made the CCBHC transformation, AAHSD was then determined to lead the field, and became the first organization of its kind to achieve CARF accreditation as a CCBHC in 2023. “The AAHSD team did a great job of preparing and demonstrating conformance to the standards,” said Michael Johnson, CARF International Senior Managing Director of Behavioral Health. “Our collaboration [with AAHSD in the CARF] process will ensure a better product for future organizations seeking this important accreditation.”

Navigating CARF Accreditation

Although AAHSD was well equipped for CCBHC and CARF accreditations, the journey was not without its challenges. Collaborating with Qualifacts and CareLogic subject matter experts, AAHSD was able to:

• Effectively navigate SAMHSA’s payment management rules
• Educate its staff and community about what it means to be a CCBHC
• Update programs and services within CareLogic to meet CCBHC requirements
• Successfully and accurately gather data to report on required quality measures
• Develop agency-specific workflows, maximizing CareLogic’s benefits for staff and clients

Collaboration across leadership, care teams, and their system administrator is crucial to continuously refining AAHSD’s workflows for programs and services and introducing new features and capabilities to teams. Peer leadership and ongoing collaboration with Qualifacts’ national CCBHC cohort has also been helpful. “Access to the CCBHC cohort that Qualifacts created has provided invaluable support, allowing for collaboration and idea exchange,” said Tynese Breaux, LCSW-BACS, AAHSD’s Practice Manager and Project Director.

Driving client engagement and ownership of their own treatment experiences to enhance outcomes is also a priority. Breaux stated, “The goal is to capitalize on CareLogic’s capabilities to optimize operations and ultimately enhance the quality of care provided by AAHSD.”

When asked for advice on achieving CARF accreditation as a CCBHC, Breaux emphasized, “Resource utilization and thinking innovatively to meet community needs is of utmost importance. Leveraging resources like your EHR provider and collaborating with community partners can help organizations reach a broader audience.” Breaux also advised, “It is also important to learn from others’ experiences and avoid unnecessary duplication of efforts, as there’s often no need to reinvent the wheel.”