RIH, Miriam doctor to lead mental-health team

PROVIDENCE – The psychiatrist-in-chief at Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital, Dr. Richard J. Goldberg, has been named to a committee within the National Quality Forum charged with refining standards for mental-health outcomes across the country.
The mental-health field has lagged behind in adopting national standards, though efforts to change that have accelerated in recent years.
The Mental Health Steering Committee is looking at several factors in defining quality in mental-health outcomes, including symptoms, function and quality of life, as well as the locations where care is received, such as hospital and community settings.
The goal is to ensure that patients receive well-coordinated care across all settings and levels of care. Along with setting standards, the committee will identify, evaluate and recommend new measures for public reporting and quality-improvement goals, for mental health in general and for specific areas such as depression and Alzheimer’s disease. &#8226