Data collection in consultation-liaison psychiatry: an evaluation of Casemix.

Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of Casemix as a data collection system for consultation-liaison psychiatry services.

Method: Health information staff were requested to code psychiatric assessments and diagnosis prospectively for admissions to the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, between July 2002 and June 2004 using Casemix.

Results: Psychiatric assessments were requested on 2.5% of all hospital admissions (n = 2575). Casemix provided extensive demographic and hospital unit data for referred patients, is easy to set up, and is cost-free for the psychiatry service.

Conclusions: Casemix can provide extensive meaningful data for consultation-liaison psychiatry services that could assist in the argument for greater funding of these services.