Question: Evaluation as Part of a Disaster Management Plan
Established in 1970, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) is a nonprofit, non-governmental health arm of the National Academy of Sciences (chartered by President Lincoln in 1863) and has served as an unbiased advisor to the nation on health care improvement. The IOM has a key role to play in helping to shape the direction of health care in the United States and abroad and works to enhance quality and add value to the health care system. Their seminal report from 2001, Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health Care System for the 21st Century, describes a strategy for improving health care overall.
Historically, heath care for mental health and substance-use conditions had a less developed quality measurement infrastructure than general medical practice. This characteristic was addressed in the 2006 report, Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental and Substance-Use Conditions and recommendations were made for quality improvement, patient-centered services, strengthening evidence-base practices, and care coordination.