Introduction

The recording of AMHC activity in the PMHC MDS will be implemented as an extension to the as yet unreleased core PMHC-MDS version 3 specification. This is to minimise the amount of work required to implement a AMHC-usable MDS.

The extension will comprise 5 new tables with new fields, and a small number of additions to existing fields in existing record types.

The new tables are Intake, Intake Collection Occasion, AMHC Episode, AMHC Service Contact, and IAR-DST Measure.

There are two contexts collecting AMHC data - the AMHC Intake teams and the AMHC hubs. Different records in the extension are intended to be used in both of these contexts.

Within the PMHC-MDS system a single intake team and individual hubs will each have their own organisation path and report data against those organisations. It is noted that some AMHC hubs may be existing provider organisations within the PMHC-MDS. The AMHC extension is compatible with this reality.

In the Intake context the following records will need to be provided: * Client, * Intake * Intake Collection Occasion * IAR-DST Measure

Episode and Service contact activity is not submitted in this context.

In the hub context the extension specification works almost the same as a service reporting via the core PMHC-MDS specification using the extension fields to identify additional detail regarding referrals in from the AMHC intake teams (Intake Organisation Path and Intake Key), referrals out to additional services (Referral Out Organisation Type), and the involvement of additional practitioners involved in service contacts (AMHC - Service Contact - Practitioner Category) which allows multiple endorsements.

AMHC Intake

The model requires a new Intake record for every intake process.

The Intake table comprises records information about the intake.

Organisation Path and Intake Key are the two fields required to link the hub episode at the hub provider organisation back to the intake record at the intake organisation.

The values of these fields should be passed along by the intake organisation to the hub organisation where the hub organisation will use them to fill in Intake Organisation Path and Intake Key. This will then link the intake record at the intake organisation with the AMHC Episode record at the hub organisation.

AMHC Episode

When the client is referred to a PMHC MDS reporting service (either an AMHC hub or an AMHC non-hub) a new Episode record is created like any other PMHC funded episode.

Where the service is an AMHC hub an additional AMHC Episode record is also created.

The AMHC Episode table comprises a composite foreign key to link it back to a standard episode record on which all the standard information is recorded plus three new fields.

  1. The identifier of the intake team (Intake Organisation Path)
  2. The episode identifier of the intake team (Intake Key)
  3. The organisation(s) to which the organisation (intake team or hub) refers the client (Referral Out Organisation Type)

AMHC Service Contact

This new record type is pertinent only to hub activity. The AMHC Service Contact extends the existing Service Contact record with two new fields:

  1. A multi choice AMHC - Service Contact - Practitioner Category, which allows the type of professionals used in multidisciplinary teams to be recorded against a contact
  2. The time that the contact started (AMHC - Service Contact - Start Time)

The AMHC - Service Contact - Practitioner Category field is in addition to the standard PHMC MDS field for identifying a specific practitioner. The standard model only allows a single practitioner to be recorded against a contact. The extended process still requires identification of a single practitioner (intended to be the ‘main’ one) but also allows capturing the discipline(s) of other practitioners who might be involved. The discipline (practitioner type) of the main practitioner is already stored on an existing table and does not need to be added to the new practitioner categories field.

AMHC - Service Contact - Start Time is intended to enable identification of activity undertaken during extended hours.

IAR-DST Measure

A new record type is required to capture the domains and the recommended level of care pertinent to the IAR-DST that clients have completed for them as part of the AMHC intake process. A new IAR-DST Measure record, and corresponding intake collection occasion record, will be created for each intake process.

Consistent with the existing measures in the MDS, the domain scores will be captured as well as the recommended level of care. The purpose of collecting both domain scores and recommended level of care is to:

  • allow verification of IAR-DST scoring processes, thereby catching scoring implementation errors early should they arise, and
  • provide a resource that can be used to better understand how the IAR-DST scoring algorithm performs in real world environments supporting ongoing improvement of the tool.

Data release and confidentiality

All data collection and reporting requirements are required to comply with relevant Commonwealth, State and Territory Information Privacy and Health Records regulations. Clients will be informed that some de-identified portions of the information collected through the AMHC Service will be utilised for Commonwealth, State and Territory planning and statistical purposes. Appropriate consent and ethics approval processes will be adhered to.