State Behavioral Health Authorities’ Use of Performance Measurement Systems

The evolution of technology has enhanced the abilities of state behavioral health authorities (SBHAs) to collect and analyze data for performance measurement. Improvements in technology have reduced the lag between the submission of data and the receipt of reports, allowing providers to more quickly address the needs of individual clients. While not there yet, the hope is that these performance measurement systems will evolve to ultimately allow for the implementation of performance medicine, which is “the tailoring of medical treatment to the individual characteristics of each patient.” This paper explains how SBHAs use performance measurement systems to inform policy and improve practice. The findings are based on responses to a questionnaire completed by 41 SBHAs, and six follow-up interviews with staff from SBHAs with current and past performance measurement systems.