Follow-Up After Hospitalisation for Mental Illness (FUH)

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Care Transitions
Country
United States of America
Publishing Organisation
National Quality Forum
Type of Quality Indicator
Process
IOM Quality Dimension
Timeliness
Domain
Follow-Up

Defining Attributes

Definition

The percentage of discharges for members 6 years of age and older who were hospitalised for treatment of selected mental illness or intentional self-harm diagnoses and who had a follow-up visit with a mental health provider within 30 days after discharge

Numerator

30-Day Follow-Up: A follow-up visit with a mental health provider within 30 days after discharge

Denominator

Discharges from an acute inpatient setting with a principal diagnosis of mental illness or intentional self-harm on the discharge claim during the first 11 months of the measurement year (i.e. January 1 to December 1) for members 6 years and older.

Exclusions

Exclude from the denominator for both rates, members who begin using hospice services anytime during the measurement year (Hospice Value Set) Exclude both the initial discharge and the readmission/direct transfer discharge if the readmission/direct transfer discharge occurs after December 1 of the measurement year. Exclude discharges followed by readmission or direct transfer to a non-acute facility within the 30-day follow-up period regardless of principal diagnosis. Exclude discharges followed by readmission or direct transfer to an acute facility within the 30-day follow-up period if the principal diagnosis was not for mental health or intentional self-harm. These discharges are excluded from the measure because rehospitalisation or transfer may prevent an outpatient follow-up visit from taking place.

Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments

None

Stratifications

Collection and Reporting Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Data Collection Methods

Health Plan level

Frequency of Data Collection
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
Reporting Methods
Reporting Frequency
Reporting Frequency in Days
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No

Source and Reference Attributes

Technical Specifications
Link to Measurement Tools
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
No
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
No
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Can the Quality Indicator be Readily Implemented at a Population Level in Australia Given its Current Data Landscape?
Implementation of this quality indicator was not assessed.
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
31 March 2026