Approved Standards Additions for Behavioral Health Services

The standards and elements of performance listed below: Care coordination, employment services, peer support, family support, and community integration are among the services that are frequently provided by organizations that embrace a recovery vision. The standards, which strive to be consistent with the values of recovery, apply only when, and to the extent the service is offered. Thus, an organization may provide one or more of the services or none of the services. These standards and elements of performance will be combined with the behavioral health care standards that apply to every behavioral health care organization seeking accreditation.

The decision to develop standards that recognize recovery and resilience while not requiring the adoption of a fully developed recovery model reflects the current state of the field in which no single definition and principle of recovery has been agreed upon in the national debate. The introduction of these standards signals a future in which the evolving principles of recovery will be incorporated into all mental health care, treatment, services and supports, provided by Joint Commission accredited organizations.

(Excerpted from report).