Background
Every community mental health center that is a Designated or Specialized Services Agency will be reviewed at least every four years by the Department of Mental Health. Reviewers are looking for:
- strengths of the agency or program,
- compliance to minimum standards, and
- any opportunities for continuous quality improvement.
This process is described by both:
- the Vermont Department of Mental Health Provider Manual (2023), and the
- Administrative Rules on Agency Designation (2003)
This process includes, at a minimum:
- Review of the clinical records of an individual served, called a ‘chart review’,
- Review of a sample of the physical spaces of the agency, typically by an onsite visit,
- Review of policies and procedures of the agency,
- Review of data capturing how much work an agency did, how well the agency did it, and whether those served are better off as a result of services,
- Review of public comments about the agency’s services,
- Review of comments made by leadership, board, staff, supervisors, community partner organizations, and critically, individuals and families served.
Templates of the chart review conducted by DMH are linked below.