Dual Diagnosis Training for Behavioral Health Clinical Staff

Serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) is an important part of Arizona’s integrated care model. Individuals supported by the Division of Developmental Disabilities and their families have expressed concerns related to barriers they encounter when trying to access appropriate behavioral and physical healthcare. As a result, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) included one-time funding to expand access to care from a well-trained, highly skilled workforce as part of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending plan.

The Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD/the Division) collaborated with its subcontracted health plans, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan and Mercy Care, to utilize ARPA funding to enhance training available to behavioral health agency clinical staff. The training focused on best practices for working with individuals who have both a developmental disability and a behavioral health diagnosis. This initiative offered professional development opportunities to improve member outcomes and bridge the gap in knowledge for the professionals who serve individuals with a developmental disability and behavioral health diagnosis and their families.

Curriculum

The Division provided funding to add the Intellectual and Developmental Disability (I/DD) Course Library to the Relias course catalog and make it available to all AHCCCS registered behavioral health agencies with access to Relias statewide. The full I/DD Course Library includes 100+ courses that learners have access to, including many that are CEU-eligible. 

Additionally, the Division offered an incentive to behavioral health agencies for the completion by eligible staff of specified training courses. Incentive funding was made available to agencies that had at least 10% of their clinical staff complete the Training Plan titled “Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Essential Knowledge for BH Providers” between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024. Eligible agencies were compensated in accordance with the payment information detailed below. 

Training Plan: Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Essential Knowledge for BH Providers

Twelve courses in the Training Plan were Computer-Based Training and one course, “Introduction to the Arizona Division of Developmental Disabilities for Behavioral Health Providers”, was a live, virtual instructor-led course.  

The specific training courses in the “Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Essential Knowledge for BH Providers Training Plan” were:

Eligible Provider Types

Behavioral health provider agencies, contracted with either Mercy Care or UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, of the following Provider Types were eligible for the incentive.

• 39 Habilitation Provider
• 77 Behavioral Health Outpatient Clinic
• IC Integrated Clinic
• A3 Community Service Agency
• A5 Behavioral Health Therapeutic Home
• A6 Rural Substance Abuse Transitional Agency
• B7 Crisis Services Provider                    
• B8 Behavioral Health Residential Facility
• B1 Level I Residential Treatment Center-Secure (IMD)
• 78 Level I Residential Treatment Center Secure (non IMD)
• B2 Level I Residential Treatment Center-Non-Secure (non-IMD)
• B3 Level I Residential Treatment Center-Non-Secure (IMD)
• C2 Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC)
• 29 Community/Rural Health Center (RHC)

Eligible Services

Services eligible for the incentive included the HCPCS/CPT codes listed on the AHCCCS Behavioral Health Outpatient MCO Fee Schedule (effective May 1, 2023) provided to DDD/ALTCS Members during the specified time period.

Incentive Payments

The lump-sum incentive payments were calculated using a flat percentage of eligible providers’ Title XIX Medicaid payments from a specified time period for the select eligible services.

• The flat percentage was 15%.
• The specified time period were dates of service from January 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024. Claims were required to be fully adjudicated and approved for payment by December 31, 2024 to be eligible. The six months of data was doubled to approximate a full year of payments.
• The first payment was distributed in December 2024. The final payment, which was intended to account for any eligible claims that were not in the first payment cycle, was distributed in April 2025.

Providers with questions should email the Division's Behavioral Health Administration.

February 2025 Update: Provider Participation

Through the course of the project period, 60 behavioral health agencies had at least 10% of their staff complete the required training. The following are the names of those providers. The Division would like to thank them for embracing this opportunity to better serve members served by the Division.

• Arizona Autism United, Inc
• Arizona Youth & Family Services, Inc.
• Art of Intelligent Mind
• Behavioral Consultation Services
• Center for Health and Recovery
• Child and Family Support Services
• Childhelp Children's Center of Arizona
• Children's Clinics
• Clarvida
• Community 43
• Community Bridges, Inc.
• Community Health Associates
• Connections Health Solutions
• Copa Health
• Corazon Behavioral Health Services
• Desert Senita Community Health Center
• Devereux
• Family and Youth Interventions LLC
• Family Involvement Center
• Free Life Wellness Center, LLC
• Grossman & Grossman LTD
• HOPE, Inc.
• Intermountain Centers for Human Development
• Jewish Family and Children's Service
• Just 1 Life
• Kaibab Behavioral Services
• Kaizen Psych
• La Frontera Center, Inc
• LaFrontera EMPACT
• Lexington Behavioral Health Services
• Living and Balance Wellness Center
• McGady & Associates Psychological Services
• Mingus Mountain Youth Treatment Center
• Mohave Mental Health Clinics, Inc.
• New Haven Communities LLC
• New Hope of Arizona, Inc.
• New Horizon Community Care
• People Empowering People of Az, Inc.
• Raising Special Kids
• Recovery Empowerment Network
• Recovery Innovations, Inc.
• Red Mountain Behavioral Health Services
• Rivyve Behavioral Health
• S.E.E.K. Arizona
• S.T.A.R. - Stand Together and Recover Centers, Inc.
• San Luis Walk-In Clinic, Inc.
• San Tan Behavioral Health Services
• Sananga Care Homes, LLC
• Serenity Residential Homes LLC
• Solari, inc.
• Sonoran Sky Community Services, Inc.
• Southeastern AZ Behavioral Health Services
• Southwest Behavioral Health Services, Inc.
• Southwest Human Development - CoE
• Spectrum Healthcare Group
• Teri'S Health Services
• The Guidance Center
• Touchstone Health Services
• Valleylife
• Women's Health Innovations of Arizona