This application proposes to identify, develop and test measures for the assessment of the quality of care for severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI). There are many proposed measures for mental health care, but the extent of their development and usefulness varies widely. This proposal represents a collaboration between researchers and public-private sector leaders responsible for the treatment of SPMI in Massachusetts (from the Department of Mental Health, the Division of Medical Assistance, and the managed care organization (MCO) contracted to administer the Medicaid mental health carve-out. The first specific aim of this proposal is to identify, inventory, and describe existing measures of the quality of mental health care for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. Measures will be systematically collected from provider organizations, MCOs, accreditors, payers, researchers, and other groups. An inventory will be developed describing each measure and detailing its properties. Measures with adequate specifications will be entered into AHCPR's CONQUEST database to facilitate nationwide access. The second specific aim is to further develop selected measures and test their meaningfulness and feasibility. A stakeholder panel will work with the investigators to develop a conceptual framework for SPMI quality measurement and select a potentially feasible and meaningful subset of measures. These measures will be further developed, and then tested using clinical data (from administrative claims, medical records, and patient surveys) from several existing datasets. The panel will then rate and rank the meaningfulness and feasibility of each measure. The third specific aim is to implement selected measures as part of ongoing efforts to improve the quality of treatment provided to Medicaid and DMH clients with SPMI in Massachusetts. Several specific areas for implementation are described. The products of this research-an inventory of measures and their properties, and the results of our analyses-will also be disseminated nationally to organizations working toward the development of a core set of measures for mental health.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
3R01HS010303-02S1
Application #
6449326
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZHS1 (01))
Program Officer
Keyes, Marge
Project Start
1999-09-30
Project End
2001-09-29
Budget Start
2000-09-30
Budget End
2001-09-29
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2001
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Harvard University
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
082359691
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115
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Dickey, Barbara; Normand, Sharon-Lise T; Eisen, Sue et al. (2006) Associations between adherence to guidelines for antipsychotic dose and health status, side effects, and patient care experiences. Med Care 44:827-34
Hermann, Richard C; Palmer, Heather; Leff, Stephen et al. (2004) Achieving consensus across diverse stakeholders on quality measures for mental healthcare. Med Care 42:1246-53
Hermann, Richard C; Provost, Scott (2003) Best practices: Interpreting measurement data for quality improvement: standards, means, norms, and benchmarks. Psychiatr Serv 54:655-7
Hermann, Richard C; Finnerty, Molly; Provost, Scott et al. (2002) Process measures for the assessment and improvement of quality of care for schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 28:95-104
Hermann, Richard C; Palmer, R Heather (2002) Common ground: a framework for selecting core quality measures for mental health and substance abuse care. Psychiatr Serv 53:281-7
Hermann, R C; Regner, J L; Erickson, P et al. (2000) Developing a quality management system for behavioral health care: the Cambridge Health Alliance Experience. Harv Rev Psychiatry 8:251-60
Hermann, R C; Leff, H S; Palmer, R H et al. (2000) Quality measures for mental health care: results from a national inventory. Med Care Res Rev 57 Suppl 2:136-54