Behavioral Health Updates

Community Behavioral Health (CBH)– Newly Designed CBH Website

CBH launched its newly redesigned website this week. The website continues to house the same information and valuable resources for our members and providers with a more user-friendly, easy-to-navigate design. Any questions or comments about the website should be directed to CBH.Communications@phila.gov. 

Community Behavioral Health (CBH) – Allied Health Professionals Job Fair Survey

The Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation, in conjunction with DBHIDS, is coordinating a job fair for Allied Health Professionals that will be specifically targeting behavioral health positions and is offering the opportunity for providers in the CBH network to participate. The tentative date for the job fair is Thursday, September 23, 2021, but in order to make the best decisions about scope and venue, we need feedback from providers in the CBH network. We are asking for one response on behalf of each agency and are looking to receive a response from your agency’s Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director or assigned delegate only. Survey submissions are due to CBH by the end of business on Friday, August 20, 2021. If there are any questions relative to this request, please contact your assigned Provider Relations Representative.

To complete the survey, click here.

Community Behavioral Health (CBH) – Acute Inpatient and Mental Health Outpatient Provider Forum

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

CBH will be hosting a virtual Acute Inpatient and Mental Health Outpatient Provider Forum. The purpose of this forum is to share best practices for discharge planning and strategies for overcoming barriers to outpatient follow-up after discharge from acute inpatient hospitals. All providers of acute inpatient and mental health outpatient services are invited to attend.

Providers are limited to three attendees each. It is recommended that the individuals from a program who oversee or are directly involved in discharge planning (for acute inpatient providers) or intake (for outpatient providers) attend the Forum. Attendees are required to register in advance for the Forum. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

If you have any questions, please contact Susanna Kramer, Director of Performance Evaluation, at Susanna.Kramer@phila.gov.

For more information and to register, click here.

Community Behavioral Health (CBH) – A Celebration of Life

In honor of Suicide Prevention Month in September, DBHIDS is inviting you to “A Celebration of Life.” The event, organized by Samantha Grannum of the DBHIDS Faith and Spiritual Affairs unit and Hunter Robbins of the DBHIDS Suicide Prevention unit, will focus on issues concerning suicide and mental health within the faith community.

Let’s work together and find ways to help prevent suicide, support those in crisis, change the stigma around suicide, and celebrate the lives that have been saved. The event will include a panel of experts from a broad spectrum of knowledge and wellness to offer facts and information regarding suicide, along with a Q&A session.

For questions regarding this event, contact Samantha.Grannum@phila.gov.

For more information and to register, click here.

Community Behavioral Health (CBH) – Provider Notice: American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Assessment Clarification

CBH and Behavioral Health Special Initiative (BHSI) transitioned to the use of ASAM Criteria for Level of Care (LOC) determinations on January 1, 2019, to align with the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) transition from Pennsylvania Client Placement Criteria (PCPC) to ASAM criteria. As a part of this transition, outpatient providers are expected to facilitate direct admissions into other programs, particularly bed-based programs.

Providers are encouraged to review the ASAM Performance Standards for each LOC. Members who are assessed at a provider should not be sent to a Crisis Response Center (CRC) or NET Assessment Center for referrals to higher or lower LOCs. 

Community Behavioral Health (CBH) – Provider Notice: PDPH Guidance Regarding the COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Healthcare Workers

The City of Philadelphia has issued an Emergency Regulation Governing the Control and Prevention of COVID-19 Mandating Vaccines for Healthcare Workers and In Higher Education, Healthcare, and Related Settings (“Vaccine Mandate Regulation”), which mandates vaccine for healthcare workers and in higher education, healthcare, and related settings. This mandate became effective on August 16, 2021, and requires Healthcare Workers and certain workers at Healthcare Institutions to be fully vaccinated by October 15, 2021. Fully vaccinated means it has been two weeks since the final dose of the vaccine.

CBH In-Network Providers should work in the coming weeks to be in alignment with these expectations for healthcare workers who are providing in-person care.

Community Behavioral Health (CBH) – Training – Family Interaction Training Series: Curriculum Overview

Tuesdays, September 14, 21, and 28, 2021

10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

FIT is a behavioral training program that consists of lessons informed by existing evidence regarding critical elements of effective parent training programs, focuses on strengthening the parent-child relationship, structuring the environment to prevent misbehavior, and using effective strategies for addressing misbehavior. FIT materials were developed for professionals who work with young children but who are not mental health experts and to help parents learn evidence-based parenting strategies to prevent or reduce challenging behaviors. This three-part series was developed for people from a wide range of disciplines to teach parents of young children to use many of the parenting strategies commonly used in proven programs. BHTEN is a co-sponsor of this workshop and CEUs are offered.

Click here for more information and to register.

Beacon Health Options of Pennsylvania – COVID-19 Reporting Tool for All Beacon In-Network Providers

Beacon Health Options of Pennsylvania – Updated Provider Field Coordinator Assignments

Beacon Health Options of Pennsylvania’s Provider Relations staff assignments have changed. The attachment below lists the new assignments. Please keep this document so you know who your Provider Field Coordinator is and their contact information.

Provider Relations Staff Assignments

Magellan Behavioral Health of PA – Provider Announcement regarding PA Department of State Waived and Suspended Licensing Regulations

Read announcement below to learn how Magellan will continue to work with County partners in an effort to obtain clarification and guidance from the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) regarding the waived and suspended regulations, including the status of telehealth after 9/30/2021.

Community Care Behavioral Health (CCBH) – Provider Alert #17 American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Level 2.5, 3.5, 3.7, and 3.7WM Performance Standards

Please see below to read more on new ASAM Performance Standards for the above listed levels of care.

PerformCare – Now Online: Social Determinants of Health Z Code Webinar Minutes

PerformCare updated the Presentation section of their website to include the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Z Code Webinar Minutes (PDF) from the presentation (PDF) that took place June 11, 2021.

Access this and other presentation and training materials on PerformCare’s website.