Michael (Mike) Johnson 
Managing Director of Behavioral Health | CARF International
Tucson, AZ, UNITED STATES
A creative, solutions oriented leader who is passionate about improving quality in behavioral healthcare.
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Experienced executive in behavioral healthcare. Expertise in mental health and substance use disorder delivery, strategy, performance metrics, and IT solutions. A dynamic, solutions oriented leader who seeks creative solutions to today's challenges in healthcare.
Areas of Expertise (9)
Office Based Opioid Treatment (OBOT)
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
Mental Health (Severe Mental Illness) Practice and Policy
Suicide Prevention
Substance Use Disorders
Addictions Counselling
Performance Management
Mental illness stigma
Addiction Treatment
Accomplishments (2)
Leaders Leading Leaders Award (professional)
2012-08-01
Inaugural award winner from the Marcus Buckingham Company
Certified Addictions Professional (professional)
1991-06-01
Certified Addictions Professional, State of Florida
Education (2)
University of Central Florida: M.A., Communications
1998
University of Central Florida: B.A., Interpersonal Communications
1993
Links (1)
Media Appearances (8)
New CARF standards address variability of care in office-based opioid treatment settings
CARF International online
2019-01-24
More than 170 advisory council participants and field review respondents provided feedback to create the first national best-practice framework. “Providers that attain this accreditation will be able to demonstrate to persons served, regulators, and payers that they offer a comprehensive array of services and supports designed to help persons served achieve recovery," says Michael Johnson, CARF’s managing director of behavioral health.
Ill Treatment podcast
Ill Treatment online
2018-12-20
Michael Johnson was interviewed for the podcast 'Ill Treatment." The mission of Ill Treatment is, "To continuously improve in informing the public, in collaboration with other prominent figures within the field, by evaluating drug and alcohol addiction treatment organizations and inspiring them to safely and effectively make an informed decision on where to obtain the highest quality of care."
Suicide prevention standards address public health crisis
CARF International online
2017-07-18
“In the United States, someone dies by suicide every 13 minutes. For veterans, that rate is roughly every 70 minutes,” says Michael Johnson, CARF’s managing director of Behavioral Health. “This is happening every hour, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. But we don’t talk about it; it doesn’t consume our news cycle. We are responding to a crisis. We need to strengthen and mainstream a response that can get traction on a broad scale.”
Aetna becomes first health insurer to join CARF’s International Advisory Council
CARF International online
2016-11-29
“CARF welcomes the new voice that Aetna offers to the IAC,” says Michael Johnson, CARF’s managing director of Behavioral Health. “Health insurers are integral players in the healthcare ecosystem. They are excellent data aggregators, able to see trends that no one else can see. Aetna brings more than 150 years of experience working closely with providers across a variety of healthcare arenas, learning what works and what does not work from a healthcare management standpoint.”
Industry trends influence accreditation standards
Behavioral Healthcare Executive online
2015-10-06
According to Michael Johnson, managing director of behavioral healthcare accreditation at CARF, accreditation will make a difference to the whole system, especially as new integrated models progress, such as Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Accreditation should indicate that outcomes have been demonstrated, and that there is organizational efficiency.
“I don’t think a hospital system that is responsible for managing finances in an ACO will be happy about going into business with an unaccredited behavioral health provider,” he says.
CARF’s specialty standards for older adults address the coming demographic shift among persons served
CARF International online
2015-04-16
"We recognize that the treatment of older adults with behavioral healthcare needs requires special attention," says Michael Johnson, CARF's managing director for behavioral health. "As people age, they sometimes experience behavioral healthcare needs for the first time in their lives and, although this population is often underserved now, the demographic shift in our population will demand organizations meet their needs. We want to make sure that the needs of this population are addressed through specialty standards that focus on care coordination, training, and attention to their unique family circumstances. Having an Older Adults designation should help both persons served and organizations match up with each other for the benefit of both."
Baby Boomers Haven't Forgotten How to Get High
Psychology Today
2014-06-18
Michael Johnson, M.A., C.A.P., Managing Director of the Behavioral Health Division at CARF International, stated, “We at CARF International are concerned about the growing substance misuse and addiction in the older population. We will be adding standards for providers to include drug education and assessments more thoroughly when serving older adults.”
CARF International names Michael Johnson as managing director of the Behavioral Health accreditation area
CARF International online
2013-02-28
Michael W. Johnson, M.A., CAP, has accepted an appointment as the managing director of CARF International's Behavioral Health accreditation area.
Event Appearances (4)
Translating evidence to practice – Leveraging accreditation standards to promote best practices in suicide care
National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention executive committee meeting Washington, DC
2019-03-21
Measurement-Based Care
Addictions Executive Industry Summitt Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
2018-03-05
Accreditation and Certification Programs For Medical Homes & Health Homes: Where Are We Now, & Where Are We Headed in the Future?
Open Minds Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
The Future of Behavioral Healthcare, Keynote Address
Georgia Association of Community Service Boards Chateau Elan, Georgia
2015-10-05
Articles (2)
3 reflections from the 2018 Zero Suicide International summit
CARF International
2018-09-25
I attended the Zero Suicide International Summit this year to exchange ideas with global thought leaders on how to eliminate the public health crisis of suicide. I came away with many thoughts, but here are some of the highlights.
Parity and the modern boom time for mental healthcare in the United States
CARF International
2016-02-16
As CARF approaches its golden anniversary, we might be compelled to look back at what has been accomplished over the past 50 years. Although there have been many positive developments I could reflect on in the behavioral and mental health fields over that time period, I find myself wanting instead to discuss what is happening right now and what needs to happen moving forward. That is because what we are witnessing now is the most revolutionary period the field has ever seen. Folks in 50 years will be discussing the enormous impact of the events of today in the same way we look back at the deinstitutionalization movement of the 1960s.
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