Measuring quality of mental health care

We are committed to the highest standards of clinical quality. As an organization, we measure our quality in several ways.

We are accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and have adopted the following quality measures using the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set© (HEDIS) and various instruments for measurement.

How quickly members receive initial service from time of authorization. This is captured through claims data. NCQA and Kaiser Permanente require patients to be seen within 10 business days for routine care, 48 hours for urgent care, and immediately for emergent care.

How quickly a member is seen by their treating provider following an inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. This is captured through claims data. We require a visit with a mental health professional within 7 days of discharge. HEDIS also measures patients seen within 30 days of discharge.

If you have an active patient in psychiatric hospitalization, please ensure that you meet with your patient within 7 days of discharge or ensure a visit with another mental health provider. The Mental Health Access Center (MHAC) will provide support to help meet this very important quality indicator by assisting in the coordination of post-hospitalization visits through our hospital liaison nurses as needed.

How satisfied patients are with their services through Kaiser Permanente and their treating provider. This is captured through satisfaction surveys to patients of high-volume network mental health providers using the patient experience survey (PDF) form.

How well your records meet our standards. This is captured by random records review of identified providers using the Provider Treatment Record Review (PDF) form.

How well your offices meet environment standards. Office appearance and safety are of high value to our members. Therefore, providers are expected to meet Kaiser Permanente minimum standards. If there have been three or more complaints, Kaiser Permanente will assess the office using the Office Environment Assessment (PDF) form.