Issue 9: Individual Service Outcomes

Goal: A partnership of consumers/family members, providers, case managers, and researchers will participate in the development of outcome measurement systems. The state system of mental health care will have both internal and external continuous quality assurance processes to certify that their outcome measurement system meets the minimum operational standards.

Discussion

In many cases, price is often the determinant of quality for managed care. As a result, purchasers are able to adjust price with little regard to quality. There are some good efforts at developing practice or outcome standards which will provide system accountability, and hold providers responsible for the efficacy and quality of the services they offer. These are discussed in the "systems" section of Adult Services. While every system of care needs an outcome measurement system, all outcome systems will not be identical across programs. Careful attention needs to be paid to efforts such as the Outcomes Roundtable Principles for Consumer Outcome Assessment Systems. (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, 1995)

Actions

228. Partner in the work of the Division of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Quality Assurance Steering Committee regarding the development of new program standards and continuous quality improvement.

229. Ensure that standards developed include clearly defined outcome measures set as benchmarks for evaluating program and personnel performance.

230. Ensure that outcome assessments be conducted with each consumer on at least an annual basis and on hospital discharge and incarceration, including measures of consumer and family satisfaction and dissatisfaction with services.

231. Ensure that a component of program performance evaluations be conducted by a neutral unbiased party not affiliated with either the Division of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities or the program being evaluated.

232. Develop a partnership of consumers, family, providers, case managers and researchers to review the quality of publicly provided mental health inpatient services.
Responsible party (actions 1-5): Division of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, Alaska Mental Health Board