Addressing Opioid-Related Outcomes Among Individuals With Co-Occurring Behavioral Health Conditions - An Environmental Scan of Quality Measures 

Through this environmental scan, the National Quality Forum (NQF) offers a review of healthcare quality measures relevant to addressing polysubstance use—consuming more than one drug at once—involving synthetic or semisynthetic opioids (SSSOs) among individuals with co-occurring behavioral health conditions. The environmental scan considers issues related to the use and misuse of opioids and other legal and illegal substances (e.g., psychostimulants, alcohol, cannabis, heroin, and tobacco), behavioral health, and where these areas intersect. This environmental scan builds upon a broader environmental scan conducted by the previous NQF Opioids and Opioid Use Disorder TEP and continues the work through a complementary focused review of relevant and existing quality measure repositories, peer- and non-peer-reviewed literature, and state laws and regulations related to polysubstance use involving opioids in the presence of concomitant behavioral health conditions.As a result of this research, over 150 measures and measure concepts were identified related to the aforementioned areas of focus, as well as a number of measurement gaps. Importantly, the scan also revealed some emerging best practices that could potentially inform measures to address polysubstance use involving opioids in persons with mental health conditions. By utilizing these results, the Opioids and Behavioral Health Committee will deliberate on the current state of quality measures related to polysubstance use and co-occurring behavioral health conditions to identify and prioritize gaps and recommendations for inclusion in the Committee’s final report, with the overall goal of reducing mortality and morbidity among this population in the U.S.