Quality Improvement in Behavioral Health

This book provides a comprehensive look at quality improvement in behavioral health, emphasizing its importance for ethical practice and effective service delivery.

This innovative volume presents a compelling argument for the necessity of quality improvement (QI) in behavioral healthcare as a blend of ethical practice, solid science, and sound business strategy. Quality Improvement in Behavioral Health is organized into three main sections: foundational concepts, essential QI tools and methods, and emerging applications. Each section provides guidelines aimed at enhancing care standards while addressing critical issues such as treatment validity, staffing and training, costs and funding, and integration with broader medical systems.

Expert contributors delve into the implications and potential of QI across various settings, including the treatment of entrenched mental disorders, correctional facilities, and within the professional context of the American Psychological Association. The insights, examples, and strategies presented in Quality Improvement in Behavioral Health are designed to become increasingly valuable as behavioral health gains prominence in integrated care and becomes essential to achieving large-scale health objectives.

Key topics covered in this volume include the direct treatment costs associated with behavioral health conditions, the indirect social costs, and the relationship between quality improvement and clinical psychological science. Additional practical tools such as process mapping for service delivery, checklists for evaluation, and the creation of a quality improvement system for integrated care programs are explored. Ultimately, this book offers health psychologists, public health professionals, and health administrators a practical framework for ensuring quality services in an ever-evolving healthcare landscape.