Survey Overview

The Experience of Care and Health Outcomes Survey (ECHO^TM) is designed to collect consumer's ratings of their behavioral health treatment. It is designed for use by consumers, clinicians, managed behavioral healthcare organizations (MBHO), health care plans, purchasers, States, and Federal agencies. MBHO and health plan versions of the ECHO^TM survey are currently available. Both surveys ask exactly the same questions about treatment and counseling services, however, the plan survey includes a few more items about administrative services, such as filling out paperwork and finding information in written materials. The MBHO version consists of 51 questions and the health plan version consists of 63 questions. The ECHO^TM contains items assessing consumer experience with specialty behavioral health care, including mental health, alcohol and drug, and other substance abuse services.

ECHO^TM is intended to assess a number of aspects of care, including:

• Getting care quickly.
• Communication with clinicians.
• Information provided by clinicians on medication side effects.
• Family involvement in care.
• Information about self-help groups and treatment.
• Cultural competency.
• Perceived improvement in functioning.
• Patient rights.
• Health plan or MBHO administrative services.

NCQA adopted a version of the MBHO survey for inclusion in HEDIS® in May 2002.  For information about the NCQA version of the MBHO survey (ECHO^TM MBHO Version 1.1H) contact NCQA. ECHO^TM is also a registered CAHPS® instrument (www.cahps-sun.org).

The group that developed ECHO^TM included behavioral health consumers, clinicians and behavioral health policy experts, including representatives from CAHPS®, NCQA, NCQA's Behavioral Health Measurement Advisory Panel, the Mental Health Statistics Improvement Program, the Human Services Research Institute, the Center for Mental Health Services, the Washington Circle Group, the American Managed Behavioral Health Care Association, and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Click here to view the members of the ECHO^TM Development Team.

Surveys & Report

Version 3.0 of the ECHO^TM surveys and supplemental items were completed in February 2002. The surveys are available for download from this website.

As with all survey measures, careful observance of recommended sampling and survey administration protocols will be essential to getting usable-that is, valid, reliable, and comparable-results. If ECHO^TM specifications are followed, the results will be suitable for statistically significant comparisons with results produced for other plans or programs and for trending over time.

A bibliography of selected citations is available. Click here to view bibliography.

The National CAHPS Benchmarking Database (NCBD) is developing a national database of ECHO^TM survey results. Survey sponsors who submit data to the NCBD will receive a free benchmarking report. For more information about the NCBD see http://ncbd.cahps.org/Home/index.asp or contact NCBD1@Westat.com.

For further information, please visit the main CAHPS Survey Users (SUN) support web site:
http://www.cahps-sun.org/Products/ECHO/ECHOIntro.asp