The National Council Medical Director Institute (MDI) was created in 2015 to bring together experts from member organizations distinguished by outstanding leadership in shaping psychiatric and addictions service delivery.
Led by Sara Coffey, D.O., and Joseph Parks, M.D., the group tackles complex issues that impact the health and wellbeing of all Americans. Its greatest value lies in their ability to identify solutions and create concrete calls to action to ensure that all Americans have access to a comprehensive, integrated continuum of care with the expectation of recovery.
Featured Publications
Resource
Quality Improvement Toolkit
Dec 13, 2021
This toolkit provides tools and resources for establishing a culture of quality improvement across your organization.
Resource
The Comprehensive Healthcare Integration (CHI) Framework
Apr 22, 2022
This paper presents a new framework for guiding implementation of integration of physical health and behavioral health.
Resource
Psychiatric Leadership in Crisis Systems
Dec 15, 2021
This brief guidance expands on the recommendations of the recently released report, Roadmap to the Ideal Crisis System.
Resource
Guidance on Handling the Increasing Prevalence of Drugs Adulterated or Laced with Fentanyl
Sep 15, 2021
In this paper, we offer principles and recommendations for remediating the impacts of the rising rates of drugs adulterated or laced with fentanyl.
Videos
Conversations on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with the Medical Director Institute
Impact Reports
Published Research
Position Statements
Position statements are developed based on expert understanding of current accepted standards of care in behavioral health. MDI members are uniquely qualified to develop position statements based on their ongoing clinical and operational leadership roles in the field. They are all board-certified psychiatrists with multiple specialty certifications, including general psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, addiction psychiatry and emergency psychiatry. Members practice within organizations that include freestanding community mental health centers, addiction treatment centers, academic centers and large multi-hospital systems. They have specialized experience in health systems policy, practice and financing (including commercial insurance, Medicaid and Medicare).
MDI members possess demonstrated skill in applying multiple sources of evidence that determine the generally accepted standard of care including peer-reviewed studies in academic journals, consensus guidelines from professional organizations and guidelines and materials distributed by government agencies.
Position statements of the MDI are passed by a two-thirds majority of the voting membership and require that more than 50 percent of MDI members register a vote.
- Position Statement on Accountability for Respectful, Equitable Environments and Actions (February 28, 2022)
- Position Statement on Clozapine Blood Test Monitoring During the COVID-19 Emergency (May 21, 2020)
- Position Statement on Generally Accepted Standards of Care for Behavioral Health (August 19, 2019)
SAMHSA CCBHC Medical Director Position Description
SAMHSA CCBHC certification requirements include a requirement that CCBHC’s have a medical director as part of their executive team and that the medical director be responsible for facilitating the integration of care and clinical standards of care. To assist CCBHC’s with meeting these requirements the MDI has developed a draft position description for CCBHC medical directors. View position description here.
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