Allocation of Users of Mental Health Services to Needs-Based Care Clusters: An Italian Pilot Study.

In Italy, despite strong community-based mental health services, needs assessment is unsatisfactory. Using the Mental Health Clustering Tool (MHCT) we adopted a multidimensional and non-diagnosis dependent approach to assign mental health services users with similar needs to groups corresponding to resources required for effective care. We tested the MHCT in nine Departments of Mental Health in four Italian regions.

Assessing the quality of the care offer for people with personality disorders in Italy: the QUADIM project. A multicentre research based on the database of use of Mental Health services.

Background: Italy can be viewed as a laboratory to assess the quality of mental healthcare delivered in a community-oriented system, especially for severe mental disorders, such as personality disorders. Although initiatives based on clinical indicators for assessing the quality of mental healthcare have been developed by transnational-organisations, there is still no widespread practice of measuring the quality of care pathways delivered to patients with severe mental disorders in a community-oriented system, especially using administrative healthcare databases. The aim of the study is to evaluate the quality of care delivered to patients with personality disorders taken-in-care by mental health services of four Italian regions (Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Sicily).

Using big data and Population Health Management to assess care and costs for patients with severe mental disorders and move toward a value-based payment system.

Background: Mental health (MH) care often exhibits uneven quality and poor coordination of physical and MH needs, especially for patients with severe mental disorders. This study tests a Population Health Management (PHM) approach to identify patients with severe mental disorders using administrative health databases in Italy and evaluate, manage and monitor care pathways and costs. A second objective explores the feasibility of changing the payment system from fee-for-service to a value-based system (e.

The quality of mental health care for people with bipolar disorders in the Italian mental health system: the QUADIM project.

Background: The assessment of the quality of care pathways delivered to people with severe mental disorders in a community-based system remains uncommon, especially using healthcare utilization databases. The aim of the study was to evaluate the quality of care provided to people with bipolar disorders taken-in-care by mental health services of four Italian areas (Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, province of Palermo).

Methods: Thirty-six quality indicators were implemented to assess quality of mental health care for patients with bipolar disorders, according to three dimensions (accessibility and appropriateness, continuity, and safety).

Assessment and Monitoring of the Quality of Clinical Pathways in Patients with Depressive Disorders: Results from a Multiregional Italian Investigation on Mental Health Care Quality (the QUADIM Project).

Ensuring adequate quality of care to patients with severe mental disorders remains a challenge. The implementation of clinical indicators aimed at assessing the quality of health care pathways delivered is crucial for the improvement of mental health services (MHS). This study aims to evaluate the quality of care delivered to patients who are taken-into-care with depressive disorders by MHS.