Featured Projects

AHP manages significant initiatives in the areas of mental health, substance abuse, co-occurring disorders, workforce development, homelessness and housing, employment, domestic violence and trauma, criminal justice, and eHealth. We seek to advance the field of behavioral health by supporting our clients in the development of effective, research-informed, culturally competent systems and programs that serve vulnerable populations and support their recovery. AHP clients include Federal, state and local government agencies, community-based providers, health organizations, and governments internationally (please click here to see list of AHP clients).

The following is a sample of representative project work managed by AHP:

The Behavioral Health Workforce Development Initiative

AHP is leading SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Workforce Development Initiative, a multi-year effort to overcome a severe workforce crisis caused by low compensation, stigma, turnover, lack of career pathways, difficulty recruiting, inadequate training, and aging of the workforce. These issues cut across the disciplines of mental health services, substance abuse treatment, and substance abuse prevention. Consequently, the SAMHSA Workforce Development Initiative is funded by all three of SAMHSA’s Centers (CMHS, CSAT, and CSAP) and by the Office of the Administrator (OA).

Through this project, AHP is helping to address the workforce crisis by activities such as the following:

• » Developing a centralized repository of national, state, and local behavioral health workforce development resources
• » Developing a Recruitment and Retention Web Toolkit
• » Collaborating with stakeholders (educators, providers, credentialing bodies, states, and Federal staff) to identify and build core competencies;
• » Engaging national organizations in discussions of behavioral health workforce development
• » Developing an online Workforce Development Resource Center

Technical Assistance in Providing Services in Supportive Housing (SSH)

AHP provides comprehensive technical assistance (TA) through targeted consultation, training, data analysis, and materials development for the Homeless Programs Branch (HPB) of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) and its Services in Supportive Housing (SSH) grantees. AHP conducts site visits to new grantees to assess their capacity to perform their responsibilities within the scope of their grants. AHP also conducts problem-focused, technical assistance site visits to address areas where grantees may be experiencing difficulties achieving the objectives of their grants. For example, we may:

• » Assist with implementation of clinical programs
• » Help develop sustainability plans
• » Strengthen administrative infrastructures
• » Improve performance outcome measures
• » Enhance the skills of administrators and clinical staff in a variety of key performance areas

In addition, AHP assesses the impact and cost effectiveness of TA delivered to grantees and supports HPB with analysis and evaluation of the SSH program.

AHP also plans and implements the SSH annual grantee meetings in concert with HPB staff and our partners. In addition, we help provide resources and information to both SSH grantees and HPB staff. For example, our staff may conduct background research on emerging issues, developing briefing papers, coordinate and conduct webinars or teleconferences, and provide professional development opportunities for HPB staff.

Massachusetts-Access to Recovery (MA-ATR)

This Federally-funded program from SAMHSA is designed to give people with substance use disorders wider access to community services to help them start or continue on the road to recovery.

MA-ATR is creating an integrated and coordinated system of care that brings together traditional treatment services with a host of non-traditional community and faith-based recovery support services. MA-ATR works in two counties in Massachusetts: Hampden County (Springfield area) and Suffolk County (Boston area).

AHP is working with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health/Bureau of Substance Abuse Services to help with the implementation of this 4-year grant.

For further information please visit: www.ma-atr.org

National Evaluation of the Assertive Adolescent and Family Treatment (AAFT) Program

The overarching objective of the multi-site, Assertive Adolescent and Family Treatment (AAFT) process and outcome evaluation is to assess and document the process of implementation in the 2009 cohort of AAFT grantees (n=14) and to explore the role that implementation support plays in how these programs evolve. AAFT grantees are expected to focus on adolescents (ages 12-17) and/or transition age youth (ages 18-24) who have substance use disorders (SUD) and may also have co-occurring mental disorders.

AHP’s evaluation will accomplish the following process-related goals:

• » Describe the process of implementing AAFT
• » Describe the implementation supports provided by Chestnut Health Systems (CHS)
• » Identify barriers and supports to successful implementation
• » Describe modifications to grantees’ plans

The outcome-focused goals of the evaluation are to:

• » Document changes in agency-level structures, processes, and services across the grantees
• » Determine the impact of the intervention supports on grantees
• » Determine the impact of local implementation approaches on agencies
• » Explore relationships between implementation and client-level outcomes

To achieve these goals, AHP is collecting quantitative and qualitative data using a combination of primary and secondary methods. These include: 1) web surveys; 2) key informant interviews; 3) case study visits; 4) observation; 5) document review; and, 6) secondary data compilation and analysis.

Cross-Site Evaluation of Jail Diversion and Trauma Recovery Program

AHP has been contracted by CMHS to conduct a cross-site evaluation of CMHS Jail Diversion and Trauma Recovery Program, with Priority to Veterans. This five-year contract was awarded by CMHS to coordinate the collection of multi-site data and to aggregate, analyze, and synthesize the data for dissemination. Six states have been awarded funding under this program. The purpose of the evaluation is to determine the extent to which trauma-integrated care and supports implemented under this program improve client outcomes, including reducing recidivism, reducing symptoms, and helping people recover from trauma.

This evaluation has two overarching goals:

• » To determine the extent to which trauma-integrated treatment and supports implemented through the CMHS Jail Diversion program result in improved client outcomes, particularly for veterans
• » To document grantee implementation of screening and treatment strategies in pilot projects statewide

The evaluation will include two discrete but interrelated pieces:

• » A client outcome evaluation focusing on outcomes across pilot program sites. The outcomes evaluation will rely on information gathered from clients through individual in-person interviews, as well as data collected through secondary sources on arrests, services, and events.
• » A process evaluation documenting the strategies and practices used in the pilot programs, as well as the adoption and expansion of these strategies in the statewide infrastructure. Key sources of data for the process evaluation include semi-annual grantee reports, site visits, and a review of documents and records.

Understanding Parity: Educational Programs for the Illinois Alcoholism & Drug Dependence Association

"AHP has provided valuable consultation and information to our Association. We have been extremely pleased with AHP's knowledge of critical issues affecting the field and their ability to assist the membership in translating that knowledge to action" - Sara Howe, CEO IADDA

AHP Healthcare Solutions consultants began working with IADDA in February of 2010 following the release of the Interim Final Rule concerning the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). IADDA is Illinois’ substance abuse prevention and treatment advocacy organization which works to align the interests of professional providers, consumers and policy-makers. As such, treatment providers in Illinois expressed an interest in learning as much as they could about MHPAEA, the regulations and the ways in which it might alter the treatment financing and coverage landscape in their state. IADDA approached AHP Healthcare Solutions seeking a service that could meet the various needs of their members and the organization itself.

Our consultants developed a two-day workshop designed to address the substance use disorder treatment provider’s understanding of the law and the interim final rule (regulations); MHPAEA’s impact on various markets including Medicaid; an orientation to managed care and managed behavioral health organizations; strategic planning and business development; and an orientation to an accelerated business modeling tool and methodology that enables healthcare providers to rapidly yet comprehensively develop new business approaches to new markets. The second day focused on the organization itself and its board of directors. AHP consultants assisted IADDA in developing an organizational response to the need for a legislative agenda in the State of Illinois. More than 175 people attended the first workshop while nearly 20 board members attended the second day.

The outcome for the first day was a heightened state of awareness among Illinois’ substance use disorder providers of the challenges that lay ahead for them in terms of preparing for entry into managed care markets; developing an efficient business infrastructure capable of billing third parties and managing health information; addressing credentialing and accreditation issues; and better understanding the notion of scope of service (covered conditions, services and providers) as it relates to MHPAEA. As for the second day, the outcome of our facilitation was a consensus agreement that IADDA would re-engage AHP Healthcare Solutions to develop a timeline of activities; conduct an environmental scan and literature review to determine how the most progressive substance use disorder treatment and insurance laws could serve as a “best practices” model for the State of Illinois and guidance in approaching State legislators, the Insurance Commissioner and health plans in the interest of applying those best practices. Consequently, IADDA was empowered to submit thorough and thought-provoking comments to the Federal Departments responsible for final regulatory language and they have since been able to begin meeting with State officials in order to advocate for better conditions locally.

AHP Healthcare Solutions has since been engaged a third time by IADDA to provide similar workshops at their annual conference in September 2010. Our consultants will review MHPAEA in the context of healthcare reforms (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or PPACA) as well as a number of health information technology topics. IADDA’s experience has already led several other states to engage AHP Healthcare Solutions in similar projects, all in the interest of advancing the field at a time of significant behavioral health insurance reform.

Achieving “Meaningful Use” of Electronic Health Record Technology

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) authorizes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide reimbursement incentives for eligible professionals and hospitals who are successful in becoming “meaningful users” of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology. AHP is currently contracted by the State of New Jersey Primary Care Association to help their member community health centers achieve evolving criteria for meaningful use. These 20 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and their satellite sites are the major providers of comprehensive community-based primary health care for 19 counties.

The AHP team is conducting an assessment to determine if each FQHC’s EHR system contains all the functionality necessary to achieve meaningful use timeframes and objectives as specified by CMS. In addition, the assessment will encompass the Government’s criteria for security, privacy, and interoperability as expressed in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and as stipulated in the Recovery Act. We are using our own specifically designed tool kits to measure compliance with each of the criteria. AHP’s extensive experience and expertise in this critical area enables us to be efficient partners for FQHCs that are making the transition to a paperless world of medical records and practice management.

Mental Health Transformation Portal

AHP is leading the development of SAMHSA’s Mental Health Transformation Web Portal, a multi-year effort to create a virtual gathering place for mental health change agents, TA Centers, and others interested in transformation efforts. When completed, the portal will serve as a one-stop on-line resource for the public, CMHS grantees, and other key mental health stakeholders.

CMHS supports several Technical Assistance, Social Marketing, and Research and Training Centers, each focused on a specific area of mental health. In an attempt to optimize resources, fully capture the work being done by the Centers, and mitigate constraints posed by budget cuts, the Portal is also designed to accomplish the following:

• » To function as the public face for Mental Health Transformation
• » To provide a gateway to the CMHS Technical Assistance Centers online
• » To establish a virtual Technical Assistance Center that not only preserves the important work that Centers are doing, but also uses technology to enhance the ability of Center staff to serve their stakeholders

Backed by versatile software tools provided by an AHP subcontractor, the MHT Web Portal will allow users to share and collaborate on documents, manage projects, create reports to project officers, communicate information with stakeholders, and collect feedback from colleagues. As additional features are phased in, the TA centers will gain the ability to host their sites through the portal, making it much easier for providers, consumers, and family members to easily access resources created with SAMHSA’s support.