Implementation of a management system based on the CQI process and development of data assessment capabilities are complex tasks. Undergo a full survey Practice surveys are as thorough and rigorous as full surveys and the results are confidential. NCQA began offering full surveys which result in publicly reported accreditation decisions beginning mid-1997, but MBHOs may wish to undergo a full survey only after they have become thoroughly educated about the process. Pursuing NCQA Accreditation within this five-step process will encourage internal quality improvement, facilitate a smoother full survey and help maximize performance. However, a practice survey is not required in order to complete a full survey for a decision.
Consumers can receive managed behavioral health care through a variety of delivery models.
For example, an MBHO could be a single market, free-standing organization, an operating unit of a national managed behavioral health care company, part of an integrated delivery system or the behavioral health component of a managed care organization. This provides an understanding of the company-wide QI program and functions while requiring each unit to demonstrate accountability for its covered population. In this type of delivery model, NCQA will award accreditation decisions at the operating unit level. Although NCQA intends that all managed behavioral health care be held to these standards, the implementation plan may differ for certain delivery models. One of the early forces driving the development of this program was the demand for an accreditation status for free-standing MBHOs.