KPIs for Australian Public Mental Health Services: PI 07J – Average cost per community mental health treatment day, 2019

Collection and usage attributes

Coverage/Scope:

State/territory specialised community mental health care service unit(s) in-scope for reporting as defined by the Mental Health Establishments National Minimum Data Set (NMDS) (numerator).

State/territory specialised community mental health care service unit(s) in-scope for reporting as defined by the Community Mental Health Care NMDS (denominator).

A share of expenditure associated with delivery of care to non-uniquely identified consumers is excluded.

All activity associated with non-uniquely identified consumers is excluded.

Methodology:

• Reference period for 2019 performance reporting: 2017–18.
• Recurrent costs include costs directly attributable to the community mental health care treatment day plus a proportional share of overhead costs. Cost data for this indicator is based on gross recurrent expenditure as compiled by state/territory data providers according to the specifications of the Mental Health Establishments NMDS. As such, it is subject to the concepts, definitions and costing methodology developed for the NMDS.
• Expenditure is adjusted for the proportion of non-uniquely identifiable people.

Numerator ÷ Denominator

Total state/territory recurrent expenditure on ambulatory mental health care services within the reference period.

Total number of community mental health care treatment days provided by state/territory ambulatory mental health care services within the reference period.

Service variables: nil

Consumer attributes: nil

Representational attributes

N[NNN]

Indicator conceptual framework

Accountability attributes

State/territory level

This indicator can be accurately constructed using the Mental Health Establishments NMDS and the Community Mental Health Care NMDS.

Contact duration data is needed for a more sophisticated cost modelling methodology.

Casemix adjustment is needed to interpret variation between organisations to distinguish consumer and provider factors.

Further development of national funding models, including episode-based or casemix models will enable more meaningful measurement.

There is a need for considerable development of costing within mental health (for example, the inclusion/exclusion of teaching and research expenditure and costing according to actual service use).

Accurate reporting at levels above that of mental health service organisation requires unique state-wide patient identifiers which are not currently available in all jurisdictions.

Source and reference attributes

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare on behalf of the National Mental Health Performance Subcommittee

National Mental Health Performance Subcommittee (NMHPSC) 2013. Key Performance Indicators for Australian Public Mental Health Services, 3rd edn. Canberra: NMHPSC.

Relational attributes