Uses of an empirically derived client typology based on level of functioning: twelve years of the CCAR

The Colorado Client Assessment Record (CCAR) is a problem checklist and level of functioning rating instrument used to describe admission to a public mental health system. A brief, non-technical summary of recent research and administrative applications involving this instrument is presented. A stable factor structure, generalizable to several diverse client populations, is reported. Scaling procedures for measuring these procedures and a client typology based on this scaling are described. The client typology is differentially related to the types of services received and the costs of treatment episodes. The typology is also used to understand differences in case mixes and lengths of stay at two state hospitals.