Barrins Bulletin
June 2025
Greetings to Our Colleagues in Behavioral Health!
Dear Readers,
Welcome to our June edition! As we enter mid‑year, this month marks a powerful convergence of awareness and opportunity to deepen our impact in behavioral health.
June is globally recognized as LGBTQ Pride Month—a time to celebrate identity, reaffirm commitment to inclusion, and ensure affirming care across our services. It’s a vital reminder to assess our environments and policies to guarantee that every client and staff member feels honored and safe.
June is also PTSD Awareness Month, highlighted by National PTSD Awareness Day on June 27. This presents a prime opportunity to reinforce trauma‑informed practices and share resources tailored for those affected by trauma.
Simultaneously, Men’s Mental Health Month shines a necessary light on the unique challenges men face—especially stigma and the higher rates of suicide. By actively promoting help-seeking behavior and offering targeted outreach, we can bridge critical gaps in care.
Finally, this month’s recognition of Juneteenth and National Immigrant Heritage Month invites us to deepen cultural humility and broaden our focus on equity. Our services are stronger when they embrace diverse histories and experiences—especially those historically underserved or marginalized.
Thank you for the intention, compassion, and leadership you bring each day. June offers us a collective moment to stand brighter, renew our purpose, and serve with even greater cultural and clinical strength.
Our newsletter is designed to support behavioral health organizations by offering clear, straightforward regulatory, accreditation, operations, and industry updates, along with practical compliance and operational tips to help navigate these challenges smoothly. We hope this edition eases both your mind and your workload—so keep reading for insights that can lighten the load and even bring a little fun to your compliance journey.
As always, we appreciate your input on the newsletter. Please take a moment to share your comments and let us know your thoughts. Additionally, we welcome suggestions for topics you would like to see covered in future issues. We eagerly anticipate hearing from you! Don’t hesitate to forward this newsletter to your colleagues; their insights are invaluable to us as well.
Best Regards,
Julia Finken
RN, BSN, MBA, CPHQ, CLSSMBB
Senior Vice President
Diverse Perspectives, Comprehensive Solutions: Tailored to Your Organization’s Needs
When Leadership Matters Most, Leading Healthcare Organizations Choose Our Interim Executives
Don’t let the departure of a Leader disrupt your organization, impact staff morale, or jeopardize the care and safety to your served population.
Our bench of former C-Suite executives and senior Quality and Regulatory professionals are ready to seamlessly integrate into your culture and provide immediate impact! We will support you through every step of the search process while bridging the gap to ensure a smooth transition.
We Promise:
- Uninterrupted Operational Excellence: Maintaining consistent processes, revenue streams, and regulatory compliance
- Preserved Staff Morale: Providing steady leadership and support to alleviate staff anxiety and maintain an positive work environment
- Focus on Safety and Quality: Ensuring consistent adherence to best practices and a continued commitment to high-quality care
Leaders We Can Provide:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Nursing Officer
- Chief Quality Officer
- Director of Quality
- Director of Risk Management
- Director of Accreditation
Is a new or remodeled building in your future? Before you embark on a behavioral healthcare facility construction plan, there is one step you should take that’s as essential as the architectural drawings – an accreditation and regulatory compliance review! Behavioral…
Job loss is more than a financial disruption—it’s a psychological event that can unravel one’s identity, security, and sense of purpose. As layoffs continue to affect industries nationwide, mental wellness after job loss, and the impact on individuals is often….
The pace of change from The Joint Commission has accelerated markedly this year. With a wave of new and revised standards introduced in quick succession, These revisions signal a significant transformation in how behavioral health organizations and psychiatric…
DNV
Healthcare University: DNV is hosting a 3-day in-person educational program June 24 – June 26 in Atlanta. This training event is offering several different courses that may be of interest. Visit their site to learn more and register to attend.
CIHQ
- Hosted a webinar, “Integrated Care in Action: Models, Roles, and Best Practices” on June 12.
- “From Risk to Resilience: How Nurse Managers Shape Safe Patient Care” webinar on June 19
- Attended the Wisconsin Rural Health Conference (June 4–6) addressing data, technology, and rural care delivery.
ACHC
ACHC announced new collaborations in June 2025: renewing support for in‑home care providers with OCHCH, forging a new hospital-support partnership with Soleran, and launching a joint initiative with KanTime.
CARF
- Scheduled in-person accreditation preparation events on June 25–26 in Nashville: BH/OTP 101 and CYS 101
- Promoted their Transforming Outcomes Data into Management Information Institute, now open for registration
COA
Published the June 2025 Industry Advancements and Advocacy in Action bulletins, including white papers, sustainability updates, and climate action committee news.
On May 22, 2025, CMS released enhanced guidance in support of Executive Order 14221 (“Making America Healthy Again…”), reinforcing the Hospital Price Transparency (HPT) Rule. This update mandates that hospitals must disclose actual dollar amounts—not placeholders—for all services and items in their machine-readable files, including payer-specific negotiated rates, estimated allowed amounts, and contracted fee schedules.
The guidance stops the practice of using “999999999” as a placeholder, requiring hospitals to calculate and publish meaningful average reimbursement data from the past 12 months—or, where historical data are unavailable, a reasoned estimated cost—while documenting usage patterns. Aligned with federal directives to standardize pricing, improve transparency, and strengthen enforcement, these measures are designed to empower patients, researchers, employers, and policymakers with clear, actionable pricing information.
We were founded by Anne Barrins, former Joint Commission surveyor, and are succeeded by Julia Finken, former Joint Commission surveyor, Associate Director of Business Development for the Home Care Program, and Executive Director of Business Development for the Behavioral Health Care and Psychiatric Hospital Programs.
In this Issue
- Behavioral Healthcare Facility Construction
- The Hidden Toll of Layoffs: How Behavioral Health Providers Can Support Mental Wellness After Job Loss
- Get Ready: Major Joint Commission Standards Updates Coming July 1, 2025
- Accreditor Insights & Updates: DNV, CIHQ, ACHC, CARF, COA
- Tip of the Month: Hospital Price Transparency
Congratulations Corner
We applaud our clients who have recently and successfully completed their Joint Commission Behavioral Health and Human Services and/or Hospital Accreditation Program Survey.
The achievement of such indicates an aptitude for quality and safety of care. Congratulations to your organization and staff!
OhioMHAS Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare
OhioMHAS Heartland Behavioral Healthcare
Hear What Our Clients Say
“Your life safety consultant was a pleasure to work with. He is so knowledgebase regarding the building requirements and all of its intricacies regarding life safety, environment of care, and construction. He is so helpful when he visits CMHC and is able to deliver information in a way that makes it easy for everyone to understand what the concerns are. We truly enjoyed working with him.”
Britt Lewis, DSW, LCSW
Interim Director of Clinical Services
Connecticut Mental Health Center
Are You Survey Ready?
At Barrins & Associates we can assist you to achieve and sustain accreditation and regulatory compliance in adherence to the TJC, DNV, CHIQ, ACHC, CARF, COA, and CMS, standards for psychiatric hospitals and community behavioral health and human services providers. Inquire today about our consulting services. We continue to support your journey toward accreditation and regulatory compliance.
Inquire today about our consulting services.
We continue to support your journey toward accreditation and regulatory compliance.