Implementation of Measurement‐Based Care in a Child Partial Hospital Program

Abstract

The routine collection and use of patient data throughout treatment, commonly referred to as measurement‐based care (MBC), holds promise as an effective, evidence‐based practice that has the potential to greatly improve the quality of usual care if implementation were more widespread (Scott & Lewis, 2015). Indeed, nearly two decades of research in behavioral health care settings has demonstrated the value of MBC as a mechanism for improving treatment outcomes and services (see Gondek et al., 2016, for a review). A person‐centered approach to care, MBC facilitates patient engagement and shared decision‐making, which can in turn enhance better outcomes and higher quality of care. Given the potential of MBC to improve the quality of care and demonstrate the value of services to stakeholders, The Joint Commission outlines three standards related to MBC within behavioral health care settings. Though the standards themselves (discussed in more detail below) are relatively straightforward, several practical implications and questions are raised in each.