LME-MCO Behavioral Health Dashboard

From the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services:

Improving behavioral health is a top priority at NCDHHS. Guided by our values of transparency and stewardship, we’ve created a department-wide Dashboard of key outcomes for the state’s behavioral health system. This dashboard allows us to highlight shared priorities, showcase successes, and identify opportunities for improvement. Because it will help us see positive and negative outcomes more clearly, it will increase our accountability to the people we serve and ensure we invest time and resources effectively. It will also focus our collaborative problem-solving so that we can deliver the results North Carolinians need, which is even more important given the current behavioral health crisis in our state. 

We have provided a breakdown of each dashboard measure below. As you’ll see, our measures are people-focused and attentive to the essential link between individual health and the health of our system of care overall. The goal is to help ensure that people are getting the right services, in the right settings, at the right time. We will update these measures with fresh data by the 30th of each month.  

DMHDDSUS is in continuous conversation with our LME/MCO partners to evaluate these data and to troubleshoot technical issues as needed. If you have questions, please direct them tocontactDMHquality@dhhs.nc.gov. Please refer to this page for other DMHDDSUS reports including the monthly Dashboard: https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/mental-health-developmental-disabilities-and-substance-use-services/reports.

NCDHHS is dedicated to the behavioral health of all North Carolinians, and we are excited about the progress this dashboard will help support. 

* * * 

About the Dashboard Measures

Medicaid Children in Emergency Department & DSS Settings: Children should receive timely treatment in an appropriate clinical setting. This measure is the average number of children boarded in emergency departments or county Department of Social Services offices/hotels over the most recent 3-month period measured who need treatment placement. 

Medicaid Children in Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTFs): Receiving services close to home is important for family connection and transition once a child no longer requires PRTF level of care. This is the number of children in PRTFs, including whether the placement is in-state, a border state, or another non-border state (out-of-state) and by whether the child is DSS-involved over the most recent 3-month period measured. A downward arrow shows improvement. 

Ready for Discharge: Patients who no longer need state psychiatric hospital level of care should be transitioned to the community with appropriate supports. The dashboard includes the number of patients waiting to be discharged and those who are not yet ready for discharge for each LME/MCO. A downward arrow shows improvement. 

People on Innovations Waitlist Receiving Medicaid or State-Funded Behavioral Health/IDD Services: People waiting for an Innovations Waiver slot should receive available services and supports to help them thrive in their communities. This shows people who are waiting to receive an Innovations Waiver slot that are currently receivingany Medicaid or State-funded BH/IDD service over the most recent 3-month period measured. 

Follow-Up Within 7 Days After Inpatient Discharge – Mental Health Treatment:After someone is discharged from a hospital or facility-based crisis program for mental health treatment, they need to receive community services quickly. The standard is within 7 days of discharge 40% will receive a follow-up service. A downward arrow shows improvement. 

Follow-Up Within 7 Days After Inpatient Discharge – Substance Use Disorder Treatment:This measure mirrors the previous one but focuses on follow up after discharge forSubstance Use Disorder treatment from a hospital, ADATC or detox/facility-based crisis program. The standard is within 7 days of discharge 40% will receive a follow-up service. A downward arrow shows improvement.