Manuscript: Defining Quality Standards for Intensive Home Based Treatment Programs for Youth with Serious Emotional...

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Healthcare
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• Intensive Home Based Treatment (IHBT) is vital for youth with serious emotional disorder (SED).
• Nationwide IHBT programs incur significant annual costs, yet lack standardized quality measures.
• A research-based framework for IHBT quality is needed to guide practice and policy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define evidence-based program and practice standards for Intensive Home Based Treatment (IHBT).
• To establish a consensus-driven framework for IHBT quality assurance and improvement.

Main Methods:

• A systematic Delphi process involving over 80 stakeholders, including developers, experts, advocates, providers, and policymakers.
• Literature review and expert interviews informed the Delphi process.
• Two rounds of quantitative and qualitative data collection to achieve consensus.

Main Results:

• Consensus was reached on 32 Intensive Home Based Treatment (IHBT) Program Standards.
• Consensus was achieved on 43 Intensive Home Based Treatment (IHBT) Practice Standards.
• The developed standards provide a foundation for quality improvement and policy development.

Conclusions:

• The defined IHBT standards offer a framework for state regulations, provider agreements, and workforce development.
• Translating these standards into measurement strategies can facilitate continuous quality improvement in youth behavioral healthcare.
• These standards are crucial for advancing research and consistent application of effective IHBT models.