A case mix procedure for matching the clinical characteristics of patients with dual disorders to planned treatment and treatment costs

A procedure for matching the clinical characteristics of patients with a dual substance abuse psychiatric disorder to planned treatment resource consumption is described. The procedure uses current standards and practices within the mental health literature on dual diagnosed patients, providing an empirical basis for quality assurance, utilization review, and program evaluation. These procedures permit an empirical linking of clinical service performance to the costs of clinical resources, thereby providing a means of: (a) evaluating program costs in terms of the specific clinical characteristics of patients and (b) planning budgets based on the patients' clinical needs. The methods are sufficiently flexible so that as new clinical research recommend changes in assessment and treatment, the case mix definitions and evaluation procedures can be easily modified.