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Session Title: Challenges Associated With the Implementation and Use of a Statewide Substance Abuse and Mental Health Outcome and Program Performance System
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Panel Session 593 to be held in Royale Conference Foyer on Friday, November 9, 11:15 AM to 12:00 PM
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Sponsored by the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| Robert Hubbard,
National Development and Research Institutes Inc,
hubbard@ndri-nc.org
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| Abstract:
In North Carolina, outcomes for consumers with diagnoses of mental illness and/or substance abuse are monitored through the North Carolina Treatment Outcomes and Program Performance System (NC-TOPPS). NC-TOPPS started in 1997 as a paper-based instrument to collect data on individuals receiving specific substance abuse services. In 2005, this was expanded into a web-based system that is now used to collect information on the life outcomes of all individuals (ages 6+) receiving publicly funded mental health and substance abuse services. In the last two years, over 1000 providers have participated in this system, providing a pool of data that can be used to inform both research and the continuous improvement of the public service system. This panel presents some of the challenges associated with the implementation and use of this statewide system, highlighting the tensions between providers, policymakers and researchers at the local, regional and state level.
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The Multi-leveled Tensions Impacting the Implementation and Use of the North Carolina Treatment Outcomes and Program Performance System (NC-TOPPS)
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| Margaret Cawley,
National Development and Research Institutes Inc,
cawley@ndri-nc.org
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| Gail Craddock,
National Development and Research Institutes Inc,
craddock@ndri-nc.org
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The North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services adopted NC-TOPPS as a tool to provide benchmark data and measure progress toward positive treatment goals for North Carolina's substance abuse and mental health services. Data on NC-TOPPS are collected by clinicians at intake, three months, six months, one year and every 6 months thereafter through interviews with all individuals receiving public services. This provides the state and local management entities with regular progress measures, creating a feedback loop for the continuous improvement of the system. Margaret Cawley is the Project Director for NC-TOPPS and will discuss the multi-leveled challenges resulting from the political context in which NC-TOPPS is implemented and used. Gail Craddock is the Senior Research Analyst connected to NC-TOPPS and will discuss the methodological tensions between researchers, practitioners and policymakers over the use of NC-TOPPS data.
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The Factors That Facilitate and Impede the Use of the North Carolina Treatment Outcomes and Program Performance System by Multiple Stakeholders.
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| Robert Hubbard,
National Development and Research Institutes Inc,
hubbard@ndri-nc.org
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| Deena Murphy,
National Development and Research Institutes Inc,
murphy@ndri-nc.org
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Robert Hubbard is Director of the Institute for Community-Based Research of the National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. (NDRI-NC) and played a key role in the research and development of the North Carolina Treatment Outcomes and Program Performance System (NC-TOPPS) as a systematic tool to improve outcomes and enhance program performance as part of a total quality improvement approach. Deena Murphy is a Principal Research Analyst at NDRI-NC and her dissertation work involved looking at the organizational factors that facilitate use of evaluation data for learning. Based on these data and Robert Hubbard's extensive experience in the substance abuse field, the factors that facilitate and impede the use of NC-TOPPS by multiple stakeholders will be discussed.
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