Application of Level of Care Utilization System for Psychiatric and Addiction Services (LOCUS) to psychiatric practice in Japan: a preliminary assessment of validity and sensitivity to change.

We applied an American medical necessity scale, Level of Care Utilization System for Psychiatric and Addiction Services (LOCUS), to psychiatric practice in Japan. This is an exploratory analysis of empirical data of 272 patients. We examined the relationships between levels of care of LOCUS and clinical variables, contribution of care levels on admission decision, and changes in care levels over time.