HIPAA compliant, BAA available

Measurement-Based Care for Georgia Behavioural Health Teams

For community providers in the DBHDD network, Georgia Families clinics, school-based programs and private practices from Atlanta to the coast. Clients answer validated scales by email or QR code, each one is scored the moment it arrives, and every client gets a chart of change you can screen, follow up and report from. US customer data stays in Google Cloud US regions.

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HIPAA compliant, BAA available
US data hosting
SOC 2 Type II
Scored as it arrives
100+
validated assessments
BAA
for HIPAA covered entities
US
Google Cloud regions for your data
$25
per month

Georgia Medicaid Has Set a Depression Screening Goal

  • Georgia's 2024-2026 Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids quality strategy, which the Department of Community Health (DCH) submitted to CMS on 3 June 2024, includes an objective to increase the number of adolescents and adults screened for depression with follow-up. It is tracked with the Screening for Depression and Follow-Up Plan measure, separately for ages 12 to 17 and for adults, with a target at or above the CMS national 50th percentile.

    The 2025 external quality review report, published in February 2026, shows where the Georgia Families care management organizations (CMOs) stand. For members aged 12 to 17, the reported rate rose from 2.15% in measurement year 2020 to 7.09% in 2024; for adults aged 18 to 64 it was 3.85% in 2024. The measure counts a screen only when a standardized tool is used and a follow-up plan is documented, so how a practice records screening matters as much as whether it screens.

    Outside Medicaid managed care, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) points the same way. Its school-based Apex Program requires the CANS within 30 days of admission and every six months after, and its CCBHC certification criteria call for standardized, validated screening tools and encourage measurement-based care. HiBoop gives you the PHQ-9 and PHQ-A with dated, scored results and a record of every repeat, so the screen and the follow-up both leave a trace. It does not submit data to DCH, a CMO or DBHDD.

  • Screening With a Follow-Up Plan

    Objective 5.2 of the DCH 2024-2026 quality strategy, measured for ages 12 to 17 and 18 and older

  • 7.09% for Adolescents in 2024

    The Georgia Families rate for ages 12 to 17, up from a 2.15% baseline, in the February 2026 external quality review

  • CANS Every Six Months in Apex

    A DBHDD provider manual requirement for the school-based Apex Program, from admission to discharge

All regions

How HiBoop Fits Georgia Practice

  • Georgia splits public behavioural health between DCH, which runs Medicaid through CMOs, and DBHDD, which funds a tiered network of community providers. HiBoop sits inside your own practice and handles the scales; the clinical decisions stay yours.

  • A Screen That Counts

    Send the PHQ-9 to adults and the PHQ-A to teenagers before the appointment. Each result is scored on arrival and kept with its date, ready for the follow-up conversation the quality measure looks for.

  • Repeat, Then Compare

    Send the same scale again at the interval you choose and every score joins the same line on the client's chart. Supervisors and clinicians see the direction of change, and that picture informs your judgement rather than making the call.

  • Your Own Records, Exported

    Download a client's history as a PDF for the record or a CSV for your quality team, so whatever your CMO or DBHDD contract asks you to show can be pulled from data you already hold.

  • Trauma and Substance Use Alongside Mood

    For clients whose needs go beyond mood, the PCL-5, ACEs questionnaire, ASSIST and CRAFFT-2.1 sit in the same library as the depression and anxiety scales, so one link can cover trauma and substance use too.

  • For Tiered Providers and Group Practices

    Team and Network plans bring every clinician and site under one account, with role-based permissions so a front-desk user, a clinician and a director each see what their role needs.

  • Built for School and Youth Programs

    For Apex and other school-based work, clients can answer on a phone or a school device from a QR code. The PHQ-A, SCARED and CRAFFT-2.1 cover adolescent mood, anxiety and substance use, next to the CANS your program already completes.

Mental health in Georgia

Research data

  • Each figure below links to the source it comes from.

  • 25.2%

    of Georgia adults had any mental illness in the past year (model-based annual average, 2023-2024)

    SAMHSA NSDUH, 2023-2024

  • 15.0%

    of Georgians aged 12 to 17 had a major depressive episode in the past year (annual average, 2023-2024)

    SAMHSA NSDUH, 2023-2024

  • 21.8%

    of Georgia adults received mental health treatment in the past year (2024)

    SAMHSA NSDUH, 2024

Research from Georgia

  • PHQ-2/PHQ-9 screening in primary care

    At an urban academic primary care centre affiliated with Emory and Grady, only 29% of patients were screened for depression in 2016; after an education program with referral resources and an electronic record decision-support tool built around the PHQ-2/9, a chart review from January 2016 to June 2017 found screening rates increased.

    Henry et al., American Journal of Medical Quality, 2020 PMID 31701768

  • PHQ-9 after critical illness

    Among 73 African American patients screened with the PHQ-2 and PHQ-9 within 90 days of leaving Grady Memorial Hospital's ICU after COVID-19 respiratory failure in 2020, 44% met PHQ-9 criteria for major depressive disorder, and only 7 of 27 eligible patients were receiving depression treatment.

    Olanipekun et al., Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 2022 PMID 33825114

  • Engagement in youth Medicaid care

    In Georgia Medicaid claims from 2010 to 2014 for 53,508 youth aged 5 to 17 starting psychosocial treatment, those who received any in-home treatment had 4.3 times the odds of attending at least 4 visits in the first 12 weeks.

    Cummings et al., Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2022 PMID 35427731

  • GAD-7 in a rural youth program

    A nurse-led quality improvement project offering dialectical behaviour therapy skills to African American adolescents in a church youth group in Southwest Georgia compared GAD-7 scores before and after the 4-month program and reported lower self-reported anxiety afterwards.

    Bowers et al., Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 2024 PMID 38285904

  • Trauma, PTSD and substance use

    Among 587 patients recruited from medical and OB/GYN waiting rooms at Grady Memorial Hospital, lifetime dependence rates were 39% for alcohol and 34.1% for cocaine, and the number of types of childhood trauma together with cocaine dependence was associated with current PTSD symptoms.

    Khoury et al., Depression and Anxiety, 2010 PMID 21049532

The Georgia System Around Your Practice

  • HiBoop is not part of any of these programs and has no link to state or CMO systems. They are the context your contracts, auditors and licensing board will refer to.

  • DCH Quality Strategy 2024-2026

    Medicaid

    The strategy sets goals for Georgia Families and PeachCare for Kids. Under its behavioural health goal it aims to lower 30-day behavioural health readmissions and to increase depression screening with follow-up, follow-up care for children prescribed ADHD medication, and metabolic monitoring for children on antipsychotics. An external quality review organization reports progress each year.

    Depression screeningFollow-up after hospitalizationAnnual external review

  • Georgia Mental Health Parity Act

    HB 1013, 2022

    HB 1013 requires insurers, including the Medicaid CMOs, to cover mental health and substance use disorders in line with the federal parity law, and gives the Department of Insurance parity reporting, complaint and medical necessity duties. From 1 July 2023 it also set an 85% minimum medical loss ratio for CMOs.

    ParityMedical necessityCMO medical loss ratio

  • DBHDD Community Network and CCBHCs

    State and Medicaid

    DBHDD contracts with a tiered safety net of community providers, from Tier 1 comprehensive community providers to Tier 2 Medicaid providers, and six regional field offices monitor quality and access. CMS approved a state plan amendment for certified community behavioural health clinics on 22 May 2025, effective 1 July 2024, and DBHDD certifies the clinics.

    Tiered providersSix regionsCCBHC

  • Licensing and Interstate Practice

    Secretary of State

    The Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists licenses counsellors, social workers and marriage and family therapists, and associate-level clinicians practise under supervision set by O.C.G.A. 43-10A-11. Georgia is a member state of the Counseling Compact, which was not yet issuing privileges to practise to Georgia licensees when we checked in November 2026.

    LPC and LCSWLMFTCounseling Compact

Working Across Georgia

  • HiBoop runs in a browser, so the same check-ins reach a Midtown practice and a client two hours from the nearest clinic. DBHDD organizes community services through six regions; the lines below follow the regions on its Apex Program provider map.

  • Metro Atlanta

    The region with the most entries on DBHDD's Apex provider map, ten, and home to Grady Memorial Hospital, where several of the studies below were run.

  • North Georgia

    Eight Apex provider entries serve schools from the Atlanta suburbs up into the Blue Ridge counties.

  • East Georgia and Augusta

    Augusta University child psychiatrists staff one of the two teleconsultation lines of the Georgia Mental Health Access in Pediatrics program, alongside Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

  • West Georgia

    Seven Apex provider entries on DBHDD's map cover school-based services in the region along the Alabama line.

  • Savannah and the Coast

    Five Apex provider entries are listed for the Savannah region, which runs along Georgia's Atlantic coast.

  • South and Southwest Georgia

    With four Apex provider entries, the fewest on the map, it is where email and QR code check-ins between visits spare clients the longest drives.

Data sovereignty

Why Georgia clinics choose HiBoop

  • Why Georgia Teams Choose HiBoop

    • Customer data for US clinics hosted in Google Cloud US regions, encrypted at rest and in transit
    • HIPAA compliant with a signed BAA for covered entities, plus SOC 2 Type II certification
    • Every view and export of client records logged, with permissions set by role
    • One clinician on Care pays $25/month, cancel any month, and no card is needed to begin
    • Clients complete scales on their own phone from an email link or a printed QR code

  • USD pricing & support

    Transparent pricing in USD with flexible payment options for clinics of every size.

    Care
    A single clinician, monthly
    $25
    USD/month
    Team
    From this price, unlimited clinicians
    $200
    USD/month
    Network
    Organizations with several sites
    Custom
    Enterprise pricing

100+ validated scales for Georgia clinics

  • Validated scales grouped by what they measure, each with its scoring and source. Public programmes often call this routine outcome monitoring (ROM), or patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs): the same practice of giving a validated scale at regular points and reading the scores over time.

  • Depression Screening and Follow-Up

    • PHQ-9 (Adult Depression)
    • PHQ-A (Adolescent Depression)
    • GAD-7 (Anxiety)

  • Suicide Risk, Trauma and Substance Use

    • C-SSRS Screener (Suicide Risk)
    • PCL-5 (PTSD)
    • ASSIST (Substance Involvement)

  • Schools and Young People

    • ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences)
    • SCARED (Child Anxiety)
    • CRAFFT-2.1 (Youth Substance Use)
Browse all assessments

Georgia Privacy, Privilege and Consent

  • HIPAA is the baseline. Georgia law adds a privilege for what clients tell mental health professionals, confidentiality rules for clinical records in its mental health code, and its own consent rule for minors seeking drug abuse treatment. None of these certifies software; meeting them is your organization's job, and HiBoop supplies safeguards you can use to do it.

  • What Georgia law expects

    • Treat communications between a client and a psychiatrist, psychologist, licensed clinical social worker, psychiatric clinical nurse specialist, marriage and family therapist or professional counsellor as privileged (O.C.G.A. 24-5-501(a)(5) to (8))
    • Keep the clinical records of people treated under Georgia's mental health code out of the public record and release them only in the situations the code lists, such as to a person the client designates in writing (O.C.G.A. 37-3-166)
    • Recognize that a minor suffering from drug abuse may consent to care for conditions arising from it without a parent's consent, while the treating physician may still choose to inform a parent (O.C.G.A. 37-7-8)
    • Meet HIPAA's safeguard and breach notification rules, with a business associate agreement signed by every vendor that stores protected health information

  • What HiBoop supplies

    • A signed business associate agreement for covered entities
    • Hosting in Google Cloud US regions for US clinics, with encryption at rest and in transit
    • An audit log of record views and exports, and permissions set by role
    • SOC 2 Type II certification, with the supporting controls described on our trust page

  • Taking HiBoop to your compliance lead?

    The trust centre sets out our hosting, encryption, access controls and SOC 2 Type II report. Ask us for a BAA or for answers to your vendor security questionnaire.

    Open the trust centre

Grants & funding for Georgia mental health clinics

Funding Guide

  • Public and private funding programs that support measurement-based care implementation.

  • SAMHSA — Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

    Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Expansion Grants

    Tech eligible

    SAMHSA’s CCBHC grants fund detailed behavioral health services including the infrastructure, staffing, and technology required to meet CCBHC standards. Outcome measurement and digital assessment platforms are explicitly eligible as required infrastructure for CCBHC certification.

    $1M–$5M/yearLearn more

  • SAMHSA

    Mental Health Block Grant (MHBG)

    Tech eligible

    States receive federal MHBG funds and redistribute them to community mental health organizations. Technology, quality improvement, and workforce development are eligible uses. Contact your state mental health authority to understand how MHBG flows in your state.

    State-distributedLearn more

  • SAMHSA

    Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration (PIPBHC)

    Tech eligible

    SAMHSA’s PIPBHC program funds integration of primary and behavioral health care, including the technology infrastructure needed to coordinate care across disciplines. Outcome measurement platforms and digital assessment tools are eligible as integration infrastructure.

    $500K–$900K/yearLearn more

  • HRSA — Health Resources and Services Administration

    Rural Health Network Development Program

    Tech eligible

    HRSA funds rural health networks to develop shared infrastructure including technology platforms, telehealth systems, and outcome measurement tools. Mental health-focused networks in rural areas can use this to fund shared digital assessment and measurement platforms.

    $250K–$500K/yearLearn more

  • HRSA

    Behavioral Health Workforce Development Program

    Tech eligible

    Supports expanding the behavioral health workforce through training, clinical placements, and technology-supported care delivery. Technology platforms that support supervision, measurement, and case management are eligible uses.

    $250K–$1MLearn more

  • CMS Innovation Center (CMMI)

    ACCESS Model — Behavioral Health Track

    Tech eligible

    The Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions (ACCESS) model includes a Behavioral Health Track for practices treating depression and anxiety. It shifts from fee-for-service to monthly payments tied to outcomes — explicitly requiring technology-enabled care and outcome measurement.

    Enhanced per-patient paymentsLearn more
View all grants & funding

Resources for Georgia practitioners

  • Billing guides, compliance documentation, and clinical practice resources.

  • CCBHCMeasurement in CCBHCs

    The quality measures certified clinics report, and where measurement-based care fits

  • AdolescentsPHQ-A Guide

    The adolescent version of the PHQ-9: who it is for and how it is scored

  • AdultsPHQ-9 Guide

    Severity bands, item 9 and repeating the scale during treatment

  • LibraryThe Assessment Library

    Every scale we describe, with its validation sources

Georgia Policy, Quality and Legal Sources

  • Official bodies, clinical guidelines, and regulatory references. Georgia.

  • Georgia 2024-2026 Quality Strategy

    Department of Community Health

    The Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids goals, including Objective 5.2 on depression screening with follow-up.

  • 2025 External Quality Review Annual Report (February 2026)

    Department of Community Health

    Measure rates for each CMO and the quality strategy scorecard through measurement year 2024.

  • Provider Manual for Community Behavioral Health Providers

    Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities

    Service definitions and requirements for DBHDD's network, including the Apex Program's CANS schedule.

  • Georgia CCBHC Certification Criteria

    Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities

    Georgia's criteria for certified community behavioural health clinics, built on the federal criteria.

  • HB 1013, Georgia Mental Health Parity Act, as signed (2022)

    Office of the Governor

    The signed act on mental health parity, CMO medical loss ratios and related reforms.

  • 2025 Annual Report

    Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission

    The commission's final-year recommendations on parity enforcement, data sharing and youth services.

  • Counseling Compact member states

    Counseling Compact Commission

    Which states have joined the compact and where privileges to practise are being issued.

  • Georgia State Plan Amendment (SPA) 23-0010

    Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, approval letter (2025), posted by Georgia Medicaid

    CMS approval of Medicaid coverage for certified community behavioural health clinics, on 22 May 2025 and effective 1 July 2024.

  • Regional Field Offices

    Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities

    The six regional field offices and their role in monitoring the quality of and access to services.

  • Georgia Apex Program

    Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities

    The school-based program and its provider map, used for the counts in the regions section.

Latest in mental health in California

Crisis and urgent help lines

More crisis lines

Measurement-based care

…starts with what we measure, and how long.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Does Georgia require measurement-based care?

    There is no general Georgia law requiring outpatient clinicians to use symptom scales. The requirements sit in programs and contracts instead: DCH's quality strategy tracks depression screening with a follow-up plan for Georgia Families members, DBHDD's Apex Program requires the CANS on a set schedule, and the state's CCBHC criteria call for validated screening tools. Your CMO or DBHDD contract is the place to check what applies to you.

  • Does HiBoop send our results to DCH, a CMO or DBHDD?

    No. HiBoop is not connected to any state or CMO system. It sends and scores scales, keeps each client's results on a chart, and lets you export them as CSV or PDF, so your team decides what to submit and to whom.

  • Can a teenager in Georgia agree to treatment without a parent?

    For drug abuse treatment, Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 37-7-8) lets a minor consent to care for conditions arising from it, and the treating physician may still choose to tell a parent. We found no equivalent general Georgia rule for outpatient mental health treatment, so ask your counsel how consent and access to a young client's scores should work in your setting. HiBoop's role-based access lets you limit who sees them.

  • Is HiBoop HIPAA compliant for Georgia practices?

    Yes. HiBoop is HIPAA compliant and signs a business associate agreement with covered entities. Georgia's privilege for mental health communications and the confidentiality rules in its mental health code are duties your organization carries, and whether a particular disclosure is allowed is a question for your counsel.

Official sources for Georgia

  • Billing and payment routes

    1. 1.GAMMIS: Georgia Medicaid provider manuals and fee schedules · fee schedule
    2. 2.CMS MLN909432: Behavioral Health Integration Services · public program · codes 99484, 99492, 99493, 99494, G2214, G0323 (read in the document on 2026-11-01)
    3. 3.CMS Physician Fee Schedule look-up · fee schedule
    4. 4.SAMHSA: Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) · public program

    Fee codes and amounts are set by each payer and change; check the linked schedule before you bill. HiBoop does not submit claims.

    Regulators and licensing

    1. 1.Georgia Composite Medical Board · physicians
    2. 2.ASPPB: psychology licensing boards · psychologists
    3. 3.ASWB: social work regulatory boards · social workers
    4. 4.Counseling Compact · counsellors
    5. 5.Social Work Licensure Compact · social workers

    Data and statistics

    1. 1.Georgia OASIS (Department of Public Health)
    2. 2.SAMHSA: NSDUH state reports
    3. 3.HRSA: HPSA Find (mental health shortage areas)
    4. 4.NIMH: mental illness statistics

    Listed for reference so you can find the official source. HiBoop is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, any of these organizations.