SAMHSA reveals new reports on the state of quality assurance practices in the behavioral health workforce

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration unveiled two new data reports on the state of quality assurance practices related to the workforce in substance abuse and mental health treatment facilities. The quality assurance practices include continuing education requirements for staff, regularly scheduled case review with a supervisor, and case review by an appointed quality review committee.

“Treatment facilities can play a role in supporting the behavioral health workforce by including quality assurance practices” said SAMHSA’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Anita Everett. “Behavioral health professionals can benefit from continued training and clinical supervision to maintain high-quality services.”

For substance abuse treatment facilities, 98.3 percent of facilities required continuing education for staff; 95.5 percent of facilities had regularly scheduled case review with a supervisor; and 73.5 percent of facilities had case review by an appointed quality review committee.

For mental health treatment facilities, 89.4 percent of facilities monitored continuing education requirements for professional staff; 91.5 percent had regularly scheduled case review with a supervisor; and 70.3 percent had regularly scheduled case review by an appointed quality review committee.

The data in the reports are collected from the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS) and the National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS). Both surveys are the only source of national and state-level data on substance abuse and mental health services reported by publicly and privately operated specialty treatment facilities.

To access the full report, Behavioral Health Workforce: Quality Assurance Practices in Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities visit: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/report_3059/ShortReport-3059.html

To access the full report, Behavioral Health Workforce: Quality Assurance Practices in Mental Health Treatment Facilities visit: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/report_3057/ShortReport-3057.html

Resources to support the behavioral health workforce can be found at http://www.samhsa.gov/workforce and http://www.integration.samhsa.gov/workforce/education-training.

For more information, contact the SAMHSA Press Office at 240-276-2130.