April 16, 1999

The following excerpts from the report of APA's Task Force on Quality Indicators show examples of the goals, indicators, measures, and standards to assess the quality of mental health care.

Access to Effective Psychosocial Treatment

Recommendation/goal: Patients with severe personality disorders should have access to psychotherapy, the intensity and duration of which should be determined by the patient's clinical condition.

Sample Indicator: Access to psychotherapy for patients with borderline personality disorder.

Sample Measure: Percentage of patients in a given health plan with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder who have received psychotherapy in a given year.

Sample Standard: The exact percentage is unknown but a reasonable standard is estimated to be at least 75 percent of patients with borderline personality disorder in a given health plan.

Appropriate Use of Medications

Bipolar Disorder

Recommendation/goal: Medications should be used in appropriate dosage and duration for those disorders for which they have been shown to be effective.

Sample Indicator: Current treatment with a mood stabilizer of patients with bipolar I disorder.

Sample Measure: Percentage of patients in a given health plan with bipolar I disorder, in acute episode, receiving valproic acid, lithium, or carbamazepine.

Sample Standard: Estimate of 90 percent of patients in a manic or depressed episode will be treated with one of the mood stabilizer medications.