Residential Rehab Outcomes Project

If outcome of treatment was the only data, providers might feel compelled (especially with backs against the wall financially) to admit clients with the least severe problems, who are likely to do well.

The system will also collect information on the profile of clients. Purchasers should be able to see services houses do well with high problem severity clients and thus encourage care managers to place these clients in the right services for them.

Turning the question round, perhaps it would be better if some providers cherry picked clients a little more; if a service is better at working with a particular section of the client group than their competitors, it might be a good thing if they became better known for this specialist competence.