By Kim Johnson, January 28 2010
What is the Accelerating Reform Initiative?
In a pilot project supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the NIATx Accelerating Reform Initiative (ARI), 23 organizations in 12 states are working to accelerate their reform efforts.
What's the Purpose of Initiative?
The purpose of ARI is to give behavioral health care organizations the tools and peer supports needed to respond to the sweeping changes that parity, health care integration and decreased grant funding may bring. These include:
- Developing partnerships with primary care and community health centers to capitalize and improve the health care infrastructure
- Enhancing their ability to use technology to share information across the continuum of provider services, deliver treatment, and respond to modified payment and billing systems
- Developing outreach and marketing strategies to reach individuals that will have coverage but have not sought treatment
- Developing strategies to educate and recruit workforce
The long-term objective of NIATx Accelerating Reform is to reduce the number of individuals who need mental health or addiction services and do not receive treatment.
To meet this objective, ARI provider organizations will conduct an assessment of their readiness for reform, develop an action plan, and implement organizational systems and processes that will assure improved outcomes and integration with primary care service delivery systems.
How Can I Learn More?
ARI participants will share lessons learned from the project at a conclusion conference in Summer 2010. These will be posted online as well.
Updated: February 08 2018