Data & Reporting: Primary Mental Health Minimum Data set (PMHC-MDS)

The PHN continues to work with commissioned service providers to improve the quality of data entered into the Primary Mental Health Minimum Data set (PMHC-MDS). This is important for many reasons, one of which being the Department of Health & Aged Care (DoHAC) scrutiny of the PHN's performance through monitoring and regularly reviewing the data available.

Significant improvements have been noted in the quality of data being reported across the HNECC region. In May 2024 a 146% improvement against the target threshold was acknowledged. This is directly the result of improved data management, data cleaning and more accurate reporting by commissioned service providers, supported by the ongoing work of the PHN's Health Intelligence & Performance team.

To maintain this level of improvement and move towards achieving the threshold of 70% against Indicator Out-3 – Proportion of completed episodes that have an outcomes measure recorded at the start and end of the episode, commissioned service providers are reminded to ensure that client episodes are closed in the correct way.

Client episodes can be closed in the PMHC-MDS either as “Treatment concluded” when the client has completed their episode of care or “Administratively closed” if the client has disengaged prior to their treatment being completed. Client episodes should be “Administratively closed” after 65 days of inactivity or non-contact. More detail regarding this is outlined in the Data Guidelines.

Although recent reports from the DoHAC have demonstrated a significant improvement, regional data collated for the HNECC footprint remains below the accepted threshold set by the Department.

The PHN's Health Intelligence & Performance team has identified further opportunities to amend historical data related to episode closures so that they better comply with the requirements of the PMHC-MDS.

Over the next month providers will be asked to review their historical data and close any episodes that remain open past 65 days. This is an administrative task and will not prevent clients from re-engaging with the service later and continuing any therapeutic care journey, it will however, ensure that all data remains current.

Commissioning Coordinators are able to assist with more information to support these activities.