Consumer/Family Satisfaction Team (C/FST)

The Consumer/Family Satisfaction Team (C/FST) in Beaver County was formed in 1998 when Medicaid changed from Fee-for-Service to Healthchoices managed care. The impact of this change was initially seen in the expansion of community-based services, though the more significant change was in the recovery-focused approach that was used in designing new behavioral health services.  The C/FST became an essential component in this paradigm shift that helped ensure that the Consumer voice was heard. For the last 22 years, the C/FST has been interviewing individuals who are receiving behavioral health services, documenting their satisfactions and concerns, and compiling this information into reports.

The C/FST serves as a tool for quality assurance of behavioral health services in Beaver County. The integrity of this process is ensured because family members and present or former recipients of behavioral health services and/or drug and alcohol services compose the team. Their lived-experience is essential when capturing the comments of survey participants as they have firsthand knowledge of what it is like to be a family member or recipient of behavioral health services.

The C/FST is included as a program of the Mental Health Association but has a different relationship from our other programs in that the MHA provides only fiduciary and administrative services for the C/FST. The C/FST operates independently and has its own Advisory Committee which ensures fidelity to the C/FST model as defined in Appendix L.

The C/FST Advisory Committee, comprised of family members, individuals with lived-experience, providers of services, and professionals, meets monthly, reviews the reports and discusses any concerns. The reports are forwarded to Beaver County Behavioral Health, Carelon Behavioral Health, and the surveyed provider. All concerns are addressed with the provider and a corrective action plan is encouraged.

Who can participate?

Individuals who are receiving mental health and/or substance abuse services.

How can I participate?

We conduct interviews at providers’ sites throughout the year. We also conduct telephone interviews, and can set up an appointment for a face to face interview in our Rochester office.  If you would like to participate in a survey, contact us by phone at 724-775-7650 or 724-775-4165, or cmckenzie@mhabc.org. or cfst@mhabc.org