Mental Health, substance use disorder, and behavioral health compliance information for facilities and providers.
Allison Fillmore and I just came back from UNIFY 2026 in Washington, DC. After eight surveys in two weeks, we read the themes through an operator lens. Here is what Joint Commission is really signaling for behavioral health in 2027.
A CFO-grade breakdown of what CARF accreditation actually costs a behavioral health operator, from the application fee to survey day rates to readiness consulting, with a decision framework against The Joint Commission and payer contracting.
A Frisco, Texas mental health clinic owner was convicted on nine felony counts in a $26M TRICARE fraud scheme. Behavioral health operators can learn exactly which controls, statutes, and audit protocols separate a defensible billing operation from a federal indictment.
Newport Healthcare, Clarvida, and Comprehensive Life Resources are shuttering four youth programs and eliminating 227 jobs. For behavioral health operators and buyers, these closures expose WARN Act liability, licensure wind-down traps, continuity-of-care obligations, and distressed M&A openings worth moving on quickly.
Founders and PE-backed buyers keep asking me the same question at conferences: how long until we have a Gold Seal or Three-Year on the wall? Here is the operator-grade timeline, sequenced against state licensure, DEA registration, and payer credentialing, with real dates and real dollars.
Buyers and sellers of behavioral health assets need advisors who can price regulatory risk, not just model EBITDA. Sariah Hopkins walks through what real M&A advisory covers, from EKRA exposure and 42 CFR Part 2 to CHOW licensure timing and escrow sizing.
Operators writing a behavioral health business plan need one document that satisfies two audiences: state licensing boards and capital partners. This guide walks through CON gating, ASAM level-of-care economics, TJC and CARF pathways, and pro forma line items tied to real reimbursement.
Opening a residential treatment center takes more than a state license. Founders need to sequence SAMHSA registrations, DEA numbers, CMS certification, accreditation, and CON review in the right order, or lose 6 to 18 months and a capital tranche.
A behavioral health operator’s playbook for recruiting LCSWs, LPCs, and associate clinicians in tight labor markets: BLS wage benchmarking, interstate compact sourcing, NHSC loan repayment, and retention design that protects ASAM staffing ratios, CARF surveys, and billable capacity.
A defensible behavioral health pro forma ties every revenue and cost assumption to licensed bed count, ASAM level of care, payer mix, credentialing timelines, and third-party benchmarks. Here is the operator-grade teardown Atlantic Health Strategies uses when preparing founders for institutional capital.
