Client Outcome Data
Performance of MHS compared
with other County & Ohio agencies.
- 2007 Calendar Year -

Client Outcome Data for July 2006 - October 2007

Summary of MHS Outcomes

Homeless Assistance Outcomes

Mobile Crisis Team Outcomes - 2

How to help

The performance of MHS in the collection and submission of outcome data to the Ohio Department of Mental Health (ODMH) is presented in the tables below. The collection, use, and submission of outcome data to ODMH became mandatory for MHS and other ODMH-certified agencies in September 2005, when the provisions of ODMH Administrative Rule 5122-28-04 took effect.  Data in the tables below are from a report released by ODMH on 1 May 2008, for the full 2007 calendar year. To review data from earlier periods, click here.

Presented in the tables below are the number of adults for whom outcome data has been submitted to ODMH (identified in the table header as "Number Received"), the number of adults for whom ODMH has received billing claims and therefore expects outcome data (identified as "Number Expected"), and the percentage ratio of Number Received to Number Expected. These measures are presented for each of the 27 ODMH-certified agencies in Cuyahoga County who provided community support, counseling, and/or psychiatric services for adults with mental disorders. County and state data are also presented for comparison.

Table 1 presents information about the Provider Form. This form is completed by the client's case manager or social worker, and is a 12-item instrument that collects information about the client’s social and role functioning, housing status, activities of daily living, criminal justice involvement, harmful behavior, and victimization. Table 2 presents information about the Consumer Form that is completed by the client, with help from staff members when needed. It is a 61-item survey that collects information about clients’ perceived quality of life, safety and health, symptom distress, and empowerment.

As shown in Table 1 (below), the performance of MHS in the submission of provider-rated outcome data exceeds the performance of all but six agencies with much smaller caseloads.

Table 2 (below) shows that the performance of MHS in the submission of client-rated outcome data is better than the average of state and county agencies, but is below that of 12 Cuyahoga County agencies. However, this table understates the actual performance of MHS. ODMH ruled that the Consumer Outcomes rule is not applicable to individuals who receive only crisis intervention and psychiatric services "for resolution of short-term emotional problems," and granted MHS a variance (see the bottom of page 10 of the full report) because of the large number of clients who come to MHS for short-term crisis services. In a letter to MHS, ODMH wrote that it "cannot revise the Outcomes Missing Data report to accommodate these criteria, but we will use these criteria" in evaluating MHS' compliance with the rule. Most of the individuals who did not complete an outcome form were those who had received only crisis intervention and psychiatric services.

The Ohio Department of Mental Health (ODMH) launched the Ohio Mental Health Consumer Outcomes System in 2000 to better manage consumer care, to improve service delivery, and to be better accountable for the use of public resources. MHS has tracked client outcomes to improve the quality and efficiency of the care and services it provides, and has well-established procedures for the collection, analysis, and utilization of outcome data.

The ODMH Consumer Outcomes System obtains outcome measures for all consumers served by the 535 agencies certified by the ODMH. Consumer outcomes are defined as "indicators of health or well-being for an individual or family, as measured by statements or characteristics of the consumer/family…" The ODMH Consumer Outcomes System is independent of the Outcomes Management Framework system adopted by the Cleveland and Cuyahoga County Office of Homeless Services, and required for programs funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  For its homeless clients who have severe mental disorders, MHS must submit different outcome data to each system.

The four domains, or content areas, of ODMH consumer outcome measures are (1) clinical status, (2) quality of life, (3) functional status, and (4) safety and health. For adults with severe mental disabilities, these domains are assessed by two instruments: The Consumer Form, completed by the client, with help from staff members when needed; is a 61-item survey that collects information about clients’ perceived quality of life, safety and health, symptom distress, and empowerment. The Provider Form, completed by the clinician, is a 12-item instrument that collects information about the client’s social and role functioning, housing status, activities of daily living, criminal justice involvement, harmful behavior, and victimization.

Both the Consumer Form and the Provider Form are completed as part of the Diagnostic Assessment at the client's admission to Community Support services. Both forms are re-administered at 6 months, 12 months, annually, and at termination.  Outcome information is shared with clients, so that they can participate in their recovery. MHS staff members use outcome reports to track progress their clients are making, and identify areas for which more intensive services are needed. MHS is also beginning to examine summary data for defined groups of individuals served, in order to better understand the service characteristics that lead to better outcomes.

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Mental Health Services for Homeless Persons, Inc. (MHS)
1744 Payne Avenue; Cleveland, Ohio 44114 U.S.A.
216-623-6555 - TTY/TDD: 216-623-6540

The URL of this page is
http://www.mhs-inc.org/ODMH-Outcomes02.asp
It was most recently updated on 1 May 2008.
We welcome your comments.
Please write to Joel[at]mhs-inc.org