Mission Statement
To ensure equitable access to a full continuum of preventive, supportive, and recovery-focused treatment resources that promote equitable outcomes and mental wellness for all people in Illinois.
Description
As the State Mental Health Authority (SMHA), the Division of Mental Health (DMH) is responsible for assuring that children, adolescents, and adults throughout Illinois have the availability of and access to public-funded mental health services. Service delivery in DMH is provided within five geographically organized service regions. This service delivery is provided through approximately 200 community mental health centers/agencies and seven State Operated Psychiatric Hospitals, the latter containing both civil and forensic beds. The DMH also provides statutorily required treatment services for sexually violent persons through its Treatment and Detention Facility.
Data Collection Processes
The DMH provides access to both services and programs. Services are provided to an individual and billed to IDHS/DMH though Medicaid Fee For Service claims. Programs are contractually defined and can be paid from a multitude of appropriation streams. Typically, these are referred to as Grant Programs.
The services data is based solely on DMH/SMHA claims data (Medicaid Fee-for-Service) and does not include claims data for individuals treated in the public system whose claims are processed by Managed Care Organizations (MCO). The DMH/SMHA is currently working to get data from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), the State Medicaid Authority on Managed Care claims to better encompass the total individuals treated in the publicly funded system.
Note: Medicaid Fee-for-Service claim data is not complete until six months after the end of the fiscal year; this is a result of the Illinois Smart Act which allows providers 180 days from the date of service to file a claim.
Each program collects a separate set of data consistent with the deliverables outlined in the contract exhibit for the program. Individual consumer level detail is not collected for these programs due to constant changes in program existence as well as annual changes in the program measures.
Collecting complete racial and ethnic demographics data collection is a challenge due to the lack of a standard policy for collecting this data from the 200+ community mental health providers and other grantees, and from the state operated psychiatric hospitals. In addition, outdated technology and an antiquated data management system prevent us from collecting and analyzing the data efficiently.
While DMH may be able to require racial and ethnic demographics from our providers, the Division cannot easily update their technology or CRM systems because they are linked to IDHS procurement and technology management. To address these challenges DMH will begin to examine their data collection policies and begin working to design a comprehensive strategy for collecting and analyzing racial and ethnic demographics to inform programs and services.
DMH SFY 2020 Demographic (see Appendix)
- Total Number of Programs - 45 (44 programs / 1 Service )
- Total Number of Participants - 156,000 (This accounts for customers served in the HSF fee for service claims data, as well as customers served through Managed Care Organizations. DMH currently only receives claims data for FFS claims; they do not get data back on claims related to MCOs)
- Number of Participants whose Race and Ethnic Demographics are being reported - 44,617
