NABH and its members are committed to the delivery of responsive, accountable, and clinically effective prevention, treatment, and care for children, adolescents, adults, and older adults with mental and substance use disorders.

Kathleen McCann, R.N., Ph.D., is the association’s Director of Quality and Regulatory Affairs, serving as the key contact for both members and policy leaders on a wide range of quality, clinical, accreditation, and regulatory issues.

Learn more about the following quality initiatives and resources:

  • Performance measurement:
  • National Quality Forum participation.
    • NABH was approved in 2010 as a member of the National Quality Forum (NQF) and will serve on the Provider Council. NQF-endorsed standards are the primary standards used to measure and report on the quality and efficiency of health care in the U.S., and the organization is recognized as a major force driving continuous improvement of healthcare quality. NABH has worked with NQF through the approval process for the Hospital-Based Inpatient Psychiatric Services (HBIPS) core measures and will continue to work with NQF on future measure development. Membership allows NABH to have a more active role in identifying measurement priorities and representing the needs of behavioral healthcare organizations within the NQF process.
  • Representation on Joint Commission PTACs. NABH holds seats on two key Professional and Technical Advisory Committees (PTACs) within The Joint Commission: the Hospital PTAC and the Behavioral Health PTAC. NABH also participates in The Joint Commission’s Liaison Network.
  • Smoking cessation and health. NABH is working with the National Mental Health Partnership for Wellness and Smoking Cessation to make health and wellness a priority for people with mental illnesses and for the providers who serve them. NABH is offering a training with faculty from the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center of the University of California San Francisco to help psychiatric facilities address clinical and policy issues related to smoking cessation.
  • Information technology. NABH has formed an Information Technology (IT) Committee to help the association develop public policy strategies on IT issues. NABH is also working as part of the Behavioral Health Information Technology Coalition to educate Congress about the need to extend health IT incentives to behavioral health.
  • Training for clinical and administrative staffs (on issues ranging from suicide prevention to safety standards)
  • Learning from Each Other: Success Stories and Ideas for Reducing Restraint/Seclusion in Behavioral Health

News

6/13/2017
NABH comment letter on CMS proposed rule on quality reporting requirements for inpatient psychiatric facilities