Developing a public mental health report card: the Hoosier Assurance Plan Provider Profile Report Card

In 1994, the Indiana General Assembly passed major legislation to reform the state's mental health system. This legislation, known as the Hoosier Assurance Plan, moves the old catchment area model into a system of managed competition. Included in the reform was a requirement that the Indiana Division of Mental Health is required to publish a provider profile. One response to that mandate is the Hoosier Assurance Plan Provider Profile Report Card. Development of a successful report card required a number of key steps. Indiana participated in the national dialogue on mental health report cards and borrowed heavily from the Mental Health Statistics Improvement Program prototype report card for indicators. The data in graphs was developed through a trial-and-error process and included broad provider and consumer input. The resulting report card is useful, and a review of the development process is informative to policy makers and others facing similar tasks.