Update: CADC, CAADC credentials not required for facilities that treat substance use disorders

Staff who work at facilities contracted with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network for the treatment of substance use disorders aren’t required to have a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, or CADC, or Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor, or CAADC, credential.

This reverses our earlier communications on this topic, including an article in the August 2021 issue of The Record, an article in the September-October 2021 issue of BCN Provider News, a web-DENIS message posted July 1, 2021, and a news item posted in July on ereferrals.bcbsm.com.

Reason for the change

After we published the earlier communications, we had additional discussions with our contracted facilities and determined that requiring the CADC or CAADC credential creates hardships for facilities that are trying to recruit staff during the pandemic.   

As a result, Blue Cross and BCN are dropping the CADC and CAADC requirement and will defer to the agencies that accredit our contracted facilities, such as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, The Joint Commission and similar agencies, to ensure that standards related to the education and credentialing of facility staff are met. 

It’s our hope that this will provide some relief as the pandemic continues and our contracted facilities continue to face challenges in recruiting clinical staff.

This change applies to facilities that treat members who have coverage through these plans:

• Blue Cross commercial
• Medicare Plus Blue℠
• BCN commercial
• BCN Advantage℠

This applies to facilities that provide and bill for one or more of the following types of treatment for substance use disorders:

• Subacute detoxification
• Residential treatment
• Partial hospital program
• Intensive outpatient program
• Individual treatment