Mental Health Statistics Improvement Program

THE PEOPLE WE SERVE

The Mental Health Statistics Improvement Program (MHSIP) is designed to improve the quality of mental health program and services delivery decision making at all levels of government through guidance and technical assistance on the design, structure, content, and use of mental health information systems.
MHSIP provides uniform, comparable statistical information about mental health services to enable broad-based research on systems of care and models for service delivery.
It represents a strong collaborative effort with State mental health agencies and other key groups, including private psychiatric hospitals and mental health service consumers.
MHSIP is the only program in the Nation focusing on the need for and development of data standards for high-quality statistical information on mental health services.
The philosophy and collaborative nature of MHSIP make it a model in the health care statistics field. It is being emulated by the statistical programs of State alcohol and drug abuse agencies, the Indian Health Service for its mental health service programs, and the World Health Organization for use around the world.
Results of MHSIP grants to the States include the following:
- An integrated electronic reporting system in Oklahoma that includes all MHSIP data elements for organizational characteristics, human resources, finances, clients, and service utilization rates;
- A regional research effort among northeastern States to examine hospital utilization; and
- The development of a case management reporting system in Nebraska.

MANDATE

This program is authorized by Section 520 (b) (14) of the Public Health Service Act.

STATUS

MHSIP developed a consumer-focused mental health report card for managed care, which soon will undergo field testing.
MHSIP provided technical assistance to States to enhance the response of information systems to health care reform initiatives.
State mental health agencies submitted competitive grant applications for implementation of the MHSIP data standards and for improvement of their analytical capacity.
The program supports the activities of four regional user groups comprised of staff from States in each region who promote MHSIP utilization through collaboration and cooperation, identification of research questions, and resource sharing.

KEN95-0023
9/2001