Adjusting for patient characteristics and selection effects in assessment of community mental health centers

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of patient socioeconomic characteristics and center selection of patients on measured performance of community mental health centers. Data Source/Study Setting: Data were taken from the administrative records of Indiana's public mental health system for 16,516 adults with severe, persistent mental illness treated in 30 community mental health centers. Center performance was compared using longitudinal information on patient functioning. Methods: A mixed random-effects model that is suitable for fitting data with a hierarchical structure was used to assess relative performance. Principal Findings: Measured performance was found to depend significantly on patient education, income, marital status, race, ethnicity, and baseline health (P