National data standards for mental health management and performance indicators.

National developments suggest that the Mental Health Statistics Improvement Program (MHSIP) offers a suitable philosophical framework as well as standards for a minimum core of mental health data for the total field. With an emphasis on agency-level development and use of data systems, MHSIP could further management objectives in both the public and private sectors. Performance indicators derived from the MHSIP content could be the vehicle for the transformation of automated reams of data into a meaningful and useful consolidated management tool, a tool that would also further quality of care. This article briefly describes the background and content of the MHSIP and the type of performance indicators that can be derived from it and used by management.