Process improvement for behavioral health

NIATx History

NIATx is the flagship project of the Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies (CHESS) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. CHESS drives healthcare innovation through research and technologies to improve care delivery. Through CHESS, NIATx offers cutting-edge change management tools that help human services organizations streamline operations and enhance outcomes.

2003–2006: Launch

NIATx launched with 39 providers in two pilot projects: Paths to Recovery and Strengthening Treatment Access and Retention, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and SAMHSA-CSAT. In 2006, the first NIATx introduced the first NIATx Change Leader Academy.

The original NIATx projects targeted improving access to and retention in treatment, focusing on four core aims:

  • Increase admission: Boost the number of clients entering treatment
  • Increase continuation: Keep clients in treatment longer
  • Reduce waiting times: Shorten the time clients wait to receive treatment
  • Reduce no-shows: Lower the number of missed appointments

2006–2010: Expansion

With funding from SAMHSA, NIATx expanded to over 3,000 providers, leading multi-state initiatives like Strengthening Treatment Access and Retention-State Implementation, Advancing Recovery, NIATx 200, and the ACTION Campaign. Hundreds of change leaders were trained nationwide. NIATx also broadened its focus to include process improvement in mental health, child protective services, criminal justice, aging and disability services, and implementing evidence-based practices like medication-assisted treatment.

2010–2014: Adapting to Change

NIATx supported behavioral health providers in navigating the evolving healthcare landscape through SAMHSA-funded initiatives, including BHBusiness and the Accelerating Reform Initiative.

2012–2017: Supporting a National Network

CHESS became the coordinating office for the SAMHSA-funded Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network, in partnership with the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The ATTC Network provides training and technical assistance to the behavioral health workforce, with a focus on accelerating the adoption of evidence-based practices in substance use and mental health treatment.

As the Network office, CHESS provided a national platform to spread the NIATx model, empowering organizations to implement effective process improvements across behavioral health services.

2017–2024: Continued Growth

NIATx launched the online Buprenorphine Implementation Toolkit and received multiple SAMHSA awards, leading the Great Lakes Addiction Technology Transfer Center, the Great Lakes Mental Health Technology Transfer Center, The Great Lakes Prevention Technology Transfer Center, Peer Recovery Center of Excellence, and Opioid Response Network.

Through these projects, the NIATx model expanded into new areas, including cultural responsiveness, substance use prevention, peer recovery, school-based mental health and suicide prevention, and workforce development.