Differences in Services Offered by Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics and Community Mental Health Centers
Evidence | Publications

Differences in Services Offered by Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics and Community Mental Health Centers

Published: Apr 01, 2023
Publisher: Psychiatric Services, vol. 74, issue 4
Health Mental Health and Substance Use
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Key Findings
  • Using data from the 2020 National Mental Health Services Survey, the authors found that certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs) differed from community mental health centers (CMHCs) in the services they offered and populations they served.
  • Differences between CCBHCs and CMHCs were greater for some services in states participating in the CCBHC Medicaid demonstration than in states not participating in the demonstration.
  • Several factors could explain the differences between CCBHCs and CMHCs, including the more advanced stage of implementation in demonstration states, variations in funding mechanisms in demonstration and nondemonstration states, and greater state oversight and involvement in the demonstration.

Objective

This study examined differences between certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs) and community mental health centers (CMHCs) in the services offered and populations served.

Methods

Data from the 2020 National Mental Health Services Survey were used to quantify the proportion of CCBHCs (N=336) and CMHCs (N=1,953) that offered services and served populations described in the CCBHC certification criteria.

Results

A higher proportion of CCBHCs than CMHCs offered crisis services, peer support, substance use disorder treatment, treatment for co-occurring disorders, antipsychotics, assertive community treatment, general medical health screening, tobacco cessation services, psychiatric rehabilitation services, and other outpatient services. A higher proportion of CCBHCs than CMHCs served veterans and transition-age youths.

Conclusions

CCBHCs differed from CMHCs in the services provided and populations served. Differences between CCBHCs and CMHCs in some service categories were more pronounced in demonstration than in nondemonstration states. However, it was unclear whether these differences existed before the introduction of the CCBHC model.

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