Issue 21: Alaska Psychiatric Institute Treatment/Quality Assurance

Goal: To enhance quality and treatment at Alaska Psychiatric Institute through a consensus building planning process.

Discussion

The API 2000 process is an opportunity to review and redesign the way that services are provided across the continuum of care to persons with mental illnesses. A stronger partnership needs to be developed between Alaska Psychiatric Institute and other care providers, including families and other natural support systems. A rigorous approach is being undertaken to examine and redesign community-based services through such mechanisms as the API Community Implementation Plan, enhanced quality assurance and managed care planning efforts. A reexamination of API's treatment and quality assurance efforts needs to be addressed with the same level of rigor.

To this end, the Alaska Mental Health Board and the Department of Health and Social Services developed a letter of agreement regarding quality assurance and treatment at Alaska Psychiatric Institute. The agreement established the API Quality Assurance and Treatment Committee composed of consumer, family, advocate, and state representatives. The Committee's goal is to develop report(s) addressing the following areas at API: treatment issues; quality assurance; involvement of consumers, families and advocates; and the API governing structure. The Committee has begun to meet and hopes to complete its work by December, 1998.

Actions

290. The Alaska Mental Health Board and Department of Health and Social Services will ensure that the Alaska Psychiatric Institute Quality Assurance Committee addresses the following issues included in the memorandum of agreement:

291. The Alaska Mental Health Board and Department of Health and Social Services will ensure that Committee recommendations are considered and implemented to the greatest extent possible.

292. The Alaska Mental Health Board and Department of Health and Social Services will ensure that the work of the Committee is integrated with other major efforts including the Alaska Mental Health Board's review of Alaska Psychiatric Institute, community quality assurance efforts, and the Alaska Psychiatric Institute Community Implementation Plan.
Responsible party (actions 1-3): Alaska Mental Health Board, Department of Health and Social Services