An evaluative paradigm for community mental health centers using an automated data system

A methodology is presented for the evaluation of community mental health centers using data routinely collected by an automated patient management system (Multistate Information System). Four community mental health centers whose catchment areas were widely diverse in composition participated in the study. A generalized evaluation paradigm was developed with measures and objectives formulated to analyze various stages of care as patients progressed through the community mental health center system. The stages covered were admission, initial modality of service, service delivery in terms of types and amounts of services rendered and termination. Each other was analyzed independently of the others and it was ascertained that the methodology produced useful and informative evaluative data across all four centers.