Through Technical Assistance

BHST Part One: Performance and Value - Based Contracting

This section focuses on the progress and lessons learned as Mind OC identifies provider capacity in Orange County for targeted conversation and development of methods to meet their technical assistance needs. Mind OC identified Be Well Campus Providers, Local Hospital Partners, and Orange County Behavioral Health (Mental Health and Substance Use) Providers during this reporting period, as described below.E

During this report period, continued engagement of providers to further develop identified and unknown technical assistance needs continued. Targeted conversations with Hospital and Health Plans in Orange County allowed for further exploration of capacity needs. This work continues to progress.

As an introduction to VBP models, Mind OC began VBP conversations with the two contracted Campus service providers, utilizing the opportunity of a proof of concept in Orange County’s first Wellness Campus, a facility developed through a public-private partnership and designed to provide co-located behavioral health services available to all residents of Orange County, regardless of payer. The intent of the ongoing discussions was to achieve better understanding of the provider needs for technical assistance along with building a better representation of client outcomes aligned with the provider and client community, to include in proposed performance standards.

Local Hospital Partners interested in accessing services at the Be Well Orange Campus were engaged to provide education and offer technical assistance around accessing the campus. Identifying issues with access for hospital clients who could benefit from campus services, the hospital asked for Be Well assistance. Through discussions, it was realized that slight process and/or policy shifts on the part of the hospital system would allow for successful referrals to the campus services. Research into the types of referrals and successful or unsuccessful placement into campus services helped the group to better understand the technical assistance needs of local hospital partners.

Over the course of the past year, the team has been able to identify and connect with non-county contracted providers to understand their capacity and training needs for moving toward value-based contracting. Additional outreach will be important, as we intend to utilize the results of the work completed by California State University, Fullerton, which captured the scope and supply of services available in Orange County. Additional information on provider qualifications and certifications, cultural background, and training, etc. that would form the foundation for a culturally responsive and inclusive provider network will be key to developing an outreach and maintenance plan for technical assistance that can support the needs of the growing provider community as they move towards a value-based payment model.

• Technical Assistance is an ongoing process and should continue post implementation • Value-Based Payment contracting requires ongoing, routine meetings with provider and payer community to ensure continued buy-in, address challenges, and conduct quality improvement