Most clinicians, accrediting bodies, public and private payers and industry leaders agree that clinical outcomes are the most important quality indicators in behavioral health care. Yet, the use of clinical outcome measures lags behind the use of other quality indicators, such as patient satisfaction and process measures, which are often viewed as proxies for clinical outcomes. The logistics of measuring change in patient status over time have slowed the adoption of clinical outcome monitoring. However, with advances in data collection technology, monitoring clinical outcomes is now feasible for most organizations. Factors that need to be considered in selecting a clinical outcomes system are cost, administrative burden, clinical utility and suitability to various levels of care.
Cost is divided into initial and ongoing.
Administrative burden includes the burden on clinicians or front line clerical staff, and the burden for the organization. Clinical utility refers to the ability to provide the clinician with real-time feedback. Read the full text of this article .