Behavioral Health Care Dashboard

Overview

Behavioral health encompasses services and treatment for both mental health (MH) and substance use disorders (SUD), an array of vital services that can meaningfully shape patient outcomes. Measuring and tracking indicators of behavioral health care provides an essential fact base that enables data-driven policymaking and delivery system reforms.

CHIA’s Behavioral Health Dashboard provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of behavioral health care in Massachusetts, alongside metrics for ongoing comparison.

Interactive Workbook

Additional Information

The dashboard measures the state of behavioral health care in the Commonwealth across 5 key areas:

  • Access
  • Finance
  • Utilization
  • Quality
  • Equity

In 2022, Massachusetts enacted the Mental Health ABC Act: Addressing Barriers to Care. The law includes a number of policies and investments aimed at improving access to behavioral health services, and charges CHIA with monitoring “costs, cost trends, price, quality, utilization, and patient outcomes related to behavioral health service subcategories…including mental health, substance use disorder, outpatient, inpatient, services for children, services for adults, and provider type.”

As demonstrated by metrics from this year’s dashboard, while some behavioral health service metrics improved, difficulties and disparities accessing care highlight persistent gaps in the Massachusetts behavioral health system.

The interactive workbook includes additional data stratifications. The accompanying databook includes multi-year trends where available.

Previous Publications