One of our primary objectives over the last couple of years in behavioral health has been to shift the focus of our performance measures away from process and procedures toward actual outcomes. In other words, we don’t want to measure our success on whether someone’s paperwork is right, but on whether the services we provide actually help folks achieve their goals. That’s why it’s so exciting to see our statewide behavioral health outcomes dashboard go live this week.
The Outcomes Dashboard is like a scorecard,it allows the user to review performance and outcomes information (employment, housing, staying out of crisis centers, abstaining from substance abuse, avoiding arrests, etc.) at the statewide level, as well as by region of the state and separately for adults and children. Links are also included so the user can then visit dashboards developed by each Regional Behavioral Health Authority, where provider-level performance can be reviewed.
The framework and dashboard, which have been in development over the past year, were designed to be user-friendly, intuitive, and informative. We partnered with peer and family members and providers in its development specifically taking into consideration what information is most important to the people we serve.
The Framework identifies four cornerstones of quality-based care including Access to Care, Coordination of Care, Service Delivery, and Consumer Outcomes. The dashboard has incorporated both nationally recognized behavioral health outcome measures as well as general health care metrics. The measures included in the framework are measures that are routinely collected directly by us or our contractors and then validated by the Department. The measures, which will be updated quarterly, support improved individual and system outcomes. To view the Outcomes Framework & Dashboard visit www.azdhs.gov/bhs.
I have a feeling the approach our team has created will set a new national standard for transparency and will likely become a best practice for evaluating public behavioral system performance.
Are the Enrollment Penetration reports that DBHS used to produce a thing of the past? The last report states that the October 2010 numbers would only be delayed by one month due to the database conversion. While the automatic enrollment in the RBHA changes makes the penetration more difficult to calculate, it is still valuable information in determining how well the RBHAs are serving their members.
Renee
The enrollment Penetration report will continue to be produced but there are still some changes that need to be finalized before it will be ready to be published.