Community Behavioral Health (CBH) is opening its Provider Network to improve Member access to behavioral and mental health treatment services and facilities, adding to its current network of 178 Providers.
“We have seen an increased demand for behavioral health supports across the nation and in Philadelphia brought on by the pandemic and other societal factors,” said CEO of CBH Dr. Faith Dyson-Washington. “Opening our network and expanding our Provider base allows us to step up and meet the need.”
The new path is meant to build CBH’s Provider Network, improve behavioral healthcare access for Medicaid members, and respond to the mental health crises brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A COVID-19 diagnosis itself can have detrimental effects on mental health. A study by the National Library of Medicine found that people diagnosed with COVID-19 had a higher chance of depression and anxiety. Black and brown communities have been disproportionality impacted by COVID-19, and more than 70 percent of CBH’s Members are African-American or Hispanic. Currently, half of the population of the city of Philadelphia – more than 725,000 people – is eligible for Medicaid.
The open network is unlike CBH’s previous procurement processes, which included Requests for Proposal (RFP), Requests for Qualification (RFQ), Requests for Application (RFA), and Requests for Information (RFI).
“As a healthcare entity, we have the responsibility and obligation to secure additional Providers for our network to respond to the needs of our Members,” said Andrew Devos, chief program officer at CBH.
Providers can apply to become a part of the CBH Network as long as they are licensed by Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services’ Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS).
Providers are invited to apply to deliver these levels of care. Here are the application links:
- Acute Inpatient Psychiatry (AIP)
- Independent Practitioners & Group Practices
- Intensive Behavioral Health Services- Applied Behavior Analysis (IBHS-ABA)
- Mental Health Outpatient (MHOP)
- Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF)
These levels of care provide services that include hospital-based care, therapy in an office, and IBHS autism services (Applied Behavioral Analysis) that are mobile and can be delivered in a home or community setting. Residential Treatment Facilities are services in a residential setting for children and adolescents who need intensive support to learn skills to help them be successful in community-based settings.
Providers will need a license in good standing from OMHSAS and still must undergo a credentialing process to become CBH in-network Providers. Once contract negotiations are completed, Providers and programs will receive an initial credentialing visit, which may include a review of staff files, written policies and procedures, and clinical records, along with a facility tour. A comprehensive list of documents needed for review can be found in the CBH Provider Manual.
For more information, please visit here.
