NABH Resources

Residential treatment provides a necessary level of care for children and adolescents with significant needs, such as those at risk of hurting themselves or others or who have been diagnosed with serious behavior problems.

Learn how to adopt a skills-based approach to talent management, which organizations can serve as partners in your workforce-development efforts, and what workforce funding sources are available to your organizations in the NABH Education and Research Foundation’s Workforce Startup Guide.

Published in conjunction with the NABH Annual Meeting, the Exhibitor and Sponsor Guide provides a guide to the latest products and services for behavioral health providers. It is distributed to all NABH members as well as all Annual Meeting participants. See “Marketing Opportunities” for details on reserving your ad for future issues.

Published in conjunction with the NABH Annual Meeting, the Exhibitor and Sponsor Guide provides a guide to the latest products and services for behavioral health providers. It is distributed to all NABH members as well as all Annual Meeting participants. See “Marketing Opportunities” for details on reserving your ad for future issues.

Published in conjunction with the NABH Annual Meeting, the Exhibitor and Sponsor Guide provides a guide to the latest products and services for behavioral health providers. It is distributed to all NABH members as well as all Annual Meeting participants. See “Marketing Opportunities” for details on reserving your ad for future issues.

Published in conjunction with the NABH Annual Meeting, the Exhibitor and Sponsor Guide provides a guide to the latest products and services for behavioral health providers. It is distributed to all NABH members as well as all Annual Meeting participants. See “Marketing Opportunities” for details on reserving your ad for future issues.

Published every spring in conjunction with the NABH Annual Meeting, the Exhibitor and Sponsor Guide provides a guide to the latest products and services for behavioral health providers. It is distributed to all NABH members as well as all Annual Meeting participants. See “Marketing Opportunities” for details on reserving your ad for future issues.

The National Association for Behavioral Healthcare’s (NABH) provider systems are committed to ensuring patient access to behavioral healthcare treatment across the entire behavioral healthcare continuum. This continuum includes inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, outpatient, and recovery and support services.

Each year, NABH surveys its membership to track trends in behavioral health care. The NABH Annual Survey reports on how the psychiatric health delivery system is changing and tracks key trends in the development of various levels of care (including inpatient, partial hospitalization, residential treatment, and outpatient care). Among key indicators reported in the survey are: admissions and days of care, lengths of stay, payer trends (including the role of Medicare and Medicaid), expenses, and contracting arrangements. The survey is an important reference used throughout the year by clinicians, administrators, financial analysts, media, healthcare consultants, federal agencies, and researchers. Survey Price: $400 for nonmembers; One copy free to participating NABH-member organizations. $300 for additional member copies (no further discount). (Released September 2019. Download Table of Contents.)

Inpatient psychiatric facilities operate under a heavy burden of federal regulatory requirements. The National Association for Behavioral Healthcare (NABH) commissioned Manatt Health to assess the burdens that certain federal laws and regulations impose on inpatient psychiatric facilities.

In November 2014, an NABH Leadership Forum with members of the NABH Committee on Behavioral Health Services within General Healthcare Systems was held in St. Louis. This document provides highlights and case examples of members’ involvement in projects now underway to address key trends. Discussions were held around four themes: 1) redefining behavioral health; 2) moving from a disease model to a population health model; 3) workforce; and 4) financing/access/coverage. It also includes highlights of the presentation by guest speaker Joseph Parks, M.D., Missouri Medicaid Director. The document may be of help in organizations’ strategic planning deliberations.

In November 2014, an NABH Leadership Forum with members of the NABH Committee on Behavioral Health Services within General Healthcare Systems was held in St. Louis. This document provides highlights and case examples of members’ involvement in projects now underway to address key trends. Discussions were held around four themes: 1) redefining behavioral health; 2) moving from a disease model to a population health model; 3) workforce; and 4) financing/access/coverage. It also includes highlights of the presentation by guest speaker Joseph Parks, M.D., Missouri Medicaid Director. The document may be of help in organizations’ strategic planning deliberations.

In January 2013, President Obama laid out an action plan in the aftermath of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, on December 14, 2012. One key element of that plan was a call for a “national dialogue on mental health.” As an association representing behavioral healthcare provider organizations and professionals, the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare (NABH) has developed a white paper that focuses on the issues that we understand best — those affecting Americans of all ages who face serious and life-threatening mental and addictive disorders. The white paper presents an analysis of what we know about behavioral health, about treatment of these disorders, and about current barriers to necessary treatment. It includes extensive references and data along with specific recommendations for action.

This document summarizes the thinking of the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare (NABH) Board of Trustees and key membership constituencies represented by the NABH committees on Youth Services, Addiction Treatment, and Behavioral Health Services within General Healthcare Systems. Each of these groups participated in an intensive discussion in 2011 – moderated by health policy consultant James Bentley, Ph.D. – to help identify trends and their potential impact on behavioral health. Use the ideas in this publication to jump-start your own strategic planning process. Included are questions to help you think through how – or if – trends may affect your own organization. Because all health care is local, these concepts and ideas will ultimately be shaped locally and customized for the unique characteristics of communities and providers (large/small, urban/rural, etc.). Available to NABH members only.

Beyond the clinical contributions they make to improving the lives of individuals experiencing the most severe mental and addictive disorders, inpatient psychiatric facilities nationwide add substantially to the economic well-being of the United States, according to a report from Dobson DaVanzo & Associates, LLC, conducted for the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare (NABH). This is the first such study to explore the total economic contributions of both psychiatric hospitals (including nongovernmental psychiatric hospitals, psychiatric units in general hospitals, and state hospitals) and residential treatment centers. The study makes two key points. First, inpatient behavioral health facilities play a critical role in serving individuals with severe and debilitating diseases. “Taken together, the findings of this report indicate that 24-hour behavioral health services are fundamental community services providing a specific level of care, which is not otherwise available,” said the researchers. “These services are required by many individuals with complex mental and addictive disorders, especially under crisis conditions.” Second, inpatient behavioral health providers contribute significantly to the economic well being of the country.

Learn about the association’s history in a special 75th anniversary history, 75 Years of Help, Hope, and Healing: The National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems. This document was supported by an educational grant from Eli Lilly and Company.

By Abt Associates, Inc., for the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare (NABH) and the National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health. Summer 2008.

In the late summer of 2006, NABH conducted a survey of member organizations offering residential treatment services to children and adolescents with emotional and substance use disorders. As one of the first surveys of its kind, this report provides a snapshot from a moment in time of the characteristics of the students receiving special education services. It explores the complex relationships that are required to ensure access to and funding of special education programs. The survey describes the challenges that special education leaders have identified as barriers to getting young people and parents the services they need.

A collaborative effort between NABH and the National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health (NACBH) is calling on Congress to pay attention to the needs of children and youth with emotional and substance use disorders as they work on implementing the 2007 Medicaid budget. To help policymakers understand the critical role that Medicaid plays in maintaining healthy communities, the two associations have released a shared vision of Medicaid: Principles for Treatment of Children and Youth with Emotional and Substance Use Disorders. Price: Free.

Prepared by nationally known expert in special education law and policy Myrna R. Mandlawitz, Esq., this paper is intended to help the clinical and administrative staff in residential programs to understand the law, to better navigate the special education reimbursement funding system, and to improve internal systems to gather the information necessary to improve education reimbursement. Available exclusively to NABH members.

To capture good ideas that are in use throughout the country to lessen the need for restraint and seclusion with psychiatric patients, several national associations have teamed up to publish Learning from Each Other. This 42-page publication was created by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA), and the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare (NABH) with support from the American Hospital Association (AHA) Section for Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Services (SPSAS). It is intended as a compendium of strategies that direct care providers and administrators may want to consider as they continuously evaluate and update their facilities’ comprehensive policies and practices. The document may also help families and consumers understand the thought processes of clinicians as they work to develop an organizational culture that maximizes patient dignity and safety. Price: The resource document is available free of charge as a pdf.

Behavioral healthcare providers are eager to create industry-wide core performance measures. However, a pilot test of key benchmarking indicators found that substantial challenges remain in gathering, reporting, and comparing data across systems. The NABH White Paper: Lessons Learned from Pilot Testing of the NABH Benchmarking Indicators identified measures that hold great promise for the field. More importantly, the participants in this 2000 pilot test demonstrated their willingness to share this critical data. The pilot test focused on nine indicators (adverse drug reactions, completed suicide, attempted suicide, restraint, seclusion, symptom/function measure, readmission, patient satisfaction, and peer review) chosen from an earlier consensus-driven process. While no specific data is reported, the document outlines challenges identified in the testing phase. Commentary is provided on each of the pilot test indicators.

The NABH-commissioned Lewin Group report on Enhancing Youth Services provides baseline information on current knowledge and thinking about care for youth with psychiatric, emotional, and behavioral problems. The 50-page report is based on a literature review, tested and reinforced by extensive structured interviews with members of the NABH Youth Services Committee (comprised of leading providers serving children and youth). The report highlights: the costs of neglecting the behavioral health needs of children and adolescents; the prevalence of behavioral health disorders in youth, as well as the difficulties associated with identifying these youth; the diversity and fragmentation of service systems and funding streams; promising services and programs available to treat youth; and remaining challenges associated with addressing behavioral health needs of youth. Illustrations from the practical experience of care providers ground the presentation of findings from research and data analysis. The report ends with several conclusions drawn from the study. In addition, NABH program examples illustrating approaches to providing care are in the appendix. Price: Free.

The NABH Benchmarking Indicators Survey Report presents two important perspectives. The first is a consensus-based selection of indicators that the NABH Benchmarking Committee felt may be useful tools for behavioral healthcare organizations regardless of the level of care they provide. The report includes some of the background thinking that led the NABH Benchmarking Committee to select these indicators for further study, as well as a bibliography that helped inform the committee’s selections. The second perspective provided in the report is a snapshot of which performance measures are currently in use within various levels of care. The survey was conducted for NABH and the Association of Behavioral Group Practices by the Center for Quality Innovations and Research, headed by Naakesh A. Dewan, M.D., and was supported in part by the federal Center for Mental Health Services.

Developed by the American Hospital Association and the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare to help member organizations review their policies and procedures related to restraint and seclusion. Price: One copy free.

A 1999 update to a landmark report looking at the erosion of behavioral health benefits compared to general healthcare benefits over the past decade. Includes past-year (1997-1998) changes as well as historical trends. Prepared by the Hay Group actuarial firm for NABH and ABGP. Price: Free.

A two-hour training designed to help you think through the many issues that need to be considered when determining staffing levels within Behavioral Health Inpatient programs. The training is designed for both administrators and clinicians. Learn from nurse executives, who are also CEOs of their facilities, about the decision-making process they use to staff psychiatric inpatient programs. The presenters have direct experience in a variety of treatment settings, including general hospital psychiatric units, freestanding specialty hospitals, and state psychiatric hospitals.

A two-hour training providing an overview for clinicians and administrators about the complexities of treatment, funding, and management of geropsychiatric services. Learn from top experts about the decision-making process they use to run their own psychiatric inpatient programs for older patients.

A four-hour training on compact disc. Whether you’re planning routine maintenance or major reconstruction, this training can help you incorporate the best ideas of your peers – and avoid costly mistakes. Hear what others have learned about safety, clinical appropriateness, and efficiency in design of inpatient behavioral healthcare environments. Just one good idea can save you both time and money as well as help to improve patient safety. Involve your clinical leaders, building managers, architects, design consultants, and CEOs on this important call. Sessions feature specific case examples with an extensive panel of expert discussants, including those from Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital, Avera McKennan Behavioral Health Services, Carolinas HealthCare System, Hall-Brooke Behavioral Health Services, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Princeton House Behavioral Health, Psychiatric Solutions, Inc., Sheppard Pratt Health System, Spring Harbor Hospital, SSM Health Care – St. Louis, and Timberline Knolls, LLC.

Whether you are involved in caring for patients within an existing behavioral healthcare program , designing a new building , or renovating space , this audiotape will help you think through the many aspects of the physical environment that can have a significant impact on the safety of patients, staff, and visitors. The training is designed for administrators, clinicians, building managers, and design professionals responsible for accreditation and compliance issues. In this two-hour training, you will learn from a top JCAHO environment-of-care expert (Britton Berek, MBA, CCE) and national leaders (David M. Sine, CSP, OHST; and James M. Hunt, AIA) about ways to enhance the safety of your unit, how the Life Safety Code impacts behavioral health, where to locate hard-to-find specialty items, and how to avoid costly design and renovation mistakes.

A two-hour training on compact disc for clinical and administrative leaders. Fiscal intermediaries for providers in virtually all states throughout the country have each developed their own inpatient psychiatric “local coverage determinations” (LCDs). These LCDs cover such issues as admission and discharge criteria, certification, initial evaluation, plan of treatment, and documentation guidelines. NABH has worked with some of the largest FIs (Mutual of Omaha, AdminaStar, AHS) to review and refine their LCDs. Learn from psychiatric experts who have been involved in the development, review, and refinement of inpatient psychiatric LCDs. Learn what you need to do to be informed about LCD requirements from your FI, to participate and comment on LCD development, and to work with your clinical and administrative team to ensure compliance with all Medicare requirements.

Developed by the American Hospital Association and the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare to help member organizations review their policies and procedures related to restraint and seclusion. Price: One copy free.

A two-hour audiotape of a training exclusively for behavioral health providers by Kathy Bolmer, Ph.D., president, KB Behavioral Healthcare, and Mary Adam, assistant vice president, Program Safeguards, Empire Medicare Services.

With higher patient acuity and shorter lengths of stay, the challenges of maintaining a safe and therapeutic treatment milieu in psychiatric hospitals, psychiatric units in general hospitals, addiction treatment services, and residential treatment centers have never been greater. New staff members are constantly joining our treatment teams, experienced staffs are looking for the latest thinking in care approaches, and leaders are looking for the best information to share with their staffs. Topics include essential staff skills for establishing and maintaining a therapeutic milieu, incorporating recovery concepts into short-term hospitalization, use of peer specialists, incorporating the patient perspective of the treatment experience, and reducing reactive aggression in children by reducing coping demands.

People with serious mental illnesses die — on average — 25 years earlier than the general population, according to a study by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors. To help hospitals and other treatment settings set smoking cessation policies, this training will explore both policy and clinical considerations of concern to facilities’ clinical and administrative leadership. The faculty includes representatives of treatment facilities that have moved to smoke-free environments as well as national experts from the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center at the University of California, San Francisco, who are working to address the specific challenges facing psychiatric patients.