Celebrating 30 Years of Helping Hoosiers 1995-2025

History

Affiliated Service Providers of Indiana Inc, ASPIN was incorporated in November of 1995. It was founded for the purpose of providing a network of providers to respond to the Division of Mental Health and Addiction change in funding payment from guarantee funding per county to payment per client served. At the initial meeting held in Plymouth, Indiana, there were as many as 14 community mental health centers present to learn about the network concept and legal options and restraints. Upon filing for incorporation as a 501(c)3, nine organizations remained to file the first application for addiction services. In 1996, bylaws were developed and tax exempt status was granted. Three other regional networks in the state were formed mirroring ASPIN’s network model.

Operations

ASPIN operated its first three years by volunteers from its provider members on task forces and committees. Committees have been chaired by provider employees that act as subject matter experts in the area of the committee. ASPIN hired its first employee through a management contract in 1997. Since then the number of employees has ranged from one to 40 dependent on the grant programs. It has had physical offices in five Indianapolis area locations. ASPIN staff currently work virtually and have offered online training since 2002.

Committees

Committees played an instrumental role in the development of ASPIN. Originally each committee was chaired by a board member who reported back to the board on activities. The first IT committee was charged with making a recommendation on which computer software to use, Microsoft Word or Word Perfect, Excel or Lotus They also shared strategies on setting up organizations first websites. ASPIN’s website was established in 1999.

Clinical Services

ASPIN’s first contract with DMHA as a third party administrator was in FY97 for addiction services only. The hand typed 100+ page application was delivered on a dolly to the government center. The following year, ASPIN changed it’s legal name from Addiction to Affiliated Service Providers of Indiana. ASPIN has evolved with the state and the agencies priorities to include mental health services and additional clinical populations.

CHW Program Evolution

ASPIN originally created a case manager certification program in 2002 to address the high turnover rate of this position at provider locations. This was originally funded though a HRSA rural network development grant. ASPIN then obtained the 1st DMHA contract in 2009 to create the Indiana Certified Recovery Specialist training. ASPIN later received funding to transform the training into an integrated training for CHWs in 2012. This certification allows CHWs to bill for Medicaid. ASPIN has built on this successful core CHW training by adding additional specialty designations that mirror the population trends seen in the network. The model has been shared with over 35 states in multiple national presentations and is listed as a promising practice by the Rural Health Information Hub and received a HRSA Rural Health Community Award Honorable Mention for Evidenced Based Promising Practices in 2018. ASPIN’s Comprehensive CHW program was approved in 2020 as Department of Labor’s first CHW apprenticeship program in Indiana.

Grants Management

State Contracts: ASPIN continues to serve as a fiduciary management of contracts with the state of Indiana. Over the last 25 years ASPIN has managed over 157 million dollars in clinical services contracts and 4.4 million dollars of state professional services contracts.

Federal Grants: ASPIN has been awarded over fifteen HRSA grants totaling over ten million dollars and nine CMS Cooperative Agreements for over 4.7 million dollars. Over the last 18 years, ASPIN has been awarded over 15 million dollars in federal and foundation funding to develop and expand innovative programs.

Performance Improvement

ASPIN’s Performance Improvement Committee has met quarterly for 25 years tackling several clinical issues. The committee has been instrumental in the development of ASPIN policies and assisted the network through two JCAHO and five CARF accreditation surveys. The committee comprised of a representative from each provider in the network, reviews demographics, conducts peer chart audits, rotates secret shopper calls and shares trending clinical and administrative issues in mental health and addictions.

Navigators

The ASPIN Health Navigator Program was created to address the high uninsured populations that were entering the ASPIN provider network. ASPIN was awarded the its first CMS navigator Cooperative Agreement in 2012 and has won competitive awards for the next seven years. The program utilizes community-based navigator mobile offices. It operates a statewide call center; website and markets the program through social media. ASPIN has received five additional Federal and Foundation grants to enroll children, veterans and their families, and the criminal justice population. ASPIN has shared its navigator expertise in several national webinars and conferences. ASPIN is certified to do navigator pre-certification and CEUs, training for navigators throughout the state. ASPIN Navigators have received nearly 12,000 calls requesting assistance, outreached to two million consumers, and scheduled 40,000 appointments, enrolling 26,000 consumers.

Our Mission

The mission of ASPIN is to provide innovative educational programs, workforce development, network management, and collaborative program development with healthcare entities, member organizations, and partners.

Our Vision

“Together, we aim to reduce health disparities, strengthen the healthcare workforce, and promote whole health management across communities.”