How to involve staff in developing an outcomes-oriented organization

Outcomes management requires the active participation of clinical staff and/or network providers to succeed. They form the bedrock of the system, since they are the ones who most typically administer the outcomes assessment questionnaires to consumers, encourage them to complete them, and respond to questions and complaints about them. Resistance from clinicians can cause even the most well-designed outcomes management system to fail. Yet with the application of several basic principles, organizations can maximize active participation from its clinicians to operate a dynamic outcomes management system. The authors of this article describe the principles involved, and the action steps necessary to implement them. These principles include: articulate the value of the outcomes management system, involve clinical staff in its design, make it relevant to treatment goals, assure clinicians the system will not be used punitively, show them how it will be used to improve treatment, obtain staff feedback routinely on how the system is working, and demonstrate how the organizational culture from top management down uses the outcomes information to make decisions.