This brief covers insights from a session on Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) that took place during the September 2022 Delta Center convening. It begins with takeaways for states considering CCBHCs, followed by a primer on the specialized clinics.
This brief summarizes key challenges faced by the rural ambulatory safety net in delivering primary care and behavioral health services since COVID-19 and the policy changes that have been implemented in response to those challenges. It also offers state-level policy recommendations to improve rural-specific primary care and behavioral health care through sustaining and supporting the movement towards telehealth, addressing social needs, and advancing value-based payment and care.
To provide the best possible care to patients and thrive in new payment environments, community health centers (CHCs) and community behavioral health organizations (CBHOs)— two pillars of the safety net—are redesigning their workflows, infrastructure, and partnerships.
Advancing payment and delivery reform in the ambulatory safety net in rural areas presents unique challenges and will require solutions specific to this context, for both primary care and behavioral health.