Factors Supporting the Development and Utilization of an Outcome-Based Performance Measurement System in a Chemical Health Case Management Program

Abstract

This paper describes the development and utilization of a performance measurement system installed in the case management program for chronic substance abusers who are committed for chemical dependency treatment in Hennepin County, Minnesota. The system (operational for over four years) produces quarterly management reports which display client characteristics at program entry as well as client outcomes achieved during and following the six-month commitment period. Institutionalization of the system within the program and the associated measurement of client characteristics and outcomes have helped to standardize case planning and to sensitize program staff to both client needs and the outcomes toward which staff and client efforts should be directed. Finally, the paper describes the special studies that have been generated from the performance measurement system's database. These include the development of caseload difficulty indices, and multivariate investigations of the relationship between client characteristics and outcomes. The paper seeks to add to the knowledge of the ways in which performance measurement systems might be designed, implemented, and used.

Key Words:

• Performance measurement system utilization
• case management
• chemical dependency