July 15, 2010

Recommendations to Foster System Reform for Adults with Serious Mental Illness

A group of prominent behavioral health care experts have called on the federal government set national standards and performance measures for appropriate clinical and supportive services for adults with serious mental illness (SMI). The recommendation was intended to ensure that adults with SMI receive appropriate care, including long-term rehabilitative care and support services. In addition to standardizing service definitions, the group called on the federal government to adopt policies to reduce fragmentation and duplication of services provided to individuals with SMI, and to ensure consistent access to behavioral health care information needed by health care provider organizations for continuity or emergency care.