license: mit
task_categories:
- tabular-classification
- tabular-regression
language:
- en
tags:
- va
pretty_name: ccomp
size_categories:
- 1M<n<10M
Dataset Card for CCOMP
CCOMP is a patient-program dataset for tracking and analyzing patient flow across VA Mental Health programs. It records which Veterans received care in which programs, in which quarters, and at which locations, covering 15 programs across 5 organizational levels from national down to individual patient.
Dataset Details
Dataset Description
The VA Mental Health continuum of care is clinically effective but not well optimized for population-level throughput or cost. VA workload projections show a need for more mental health treatment capacity, but simply adding staff isn't feasible at scale. In practice, a focus on quality within individual programs has created bottlenecks across levels of care that slow patient movement to appropriate settings.
CCOMP was built to use data and analytics to:
- Shift resources, clinical practice strategies, and processes
- Support a stepped-care approach that increases capacity and improves efficiency
- Maintain or improve patient outcomes
The dataset powers a program flow interface that shows patient transitions between programs, cohort sizes, staffing ratios, and treatment patterns across 15 VA mental health programs.
- Curated: Elliot Fielstein, Director of Clinical and Data Analytics, Informatics Section of Mental Health Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office, Washington DC
- Funded: Department of Veterans Affairs
- Language: English
- License: MIT
Dataset Sources
- Active Table:
OMHSP_PERC_MDSDev.CCOMP.PatientProgram(SQL Server, current quarters: FY25Q4, FY26Q1) - Historical Table:
OMHSP_PERC_MDSHistorical.Staffing.CCOMP_PatientProgram_FY[YY](one table per completed fiscal year)
Uses
Direct Use
CCOMP is built for mental health program administrators, clinical leads, and operational planners at the VA. Typical uses include:
- Tracking patient movement between mental health programs (inflow/outflow counts by program pair)
- Monitoring cohort sizes by program, quarter, and organizational level
- Spotting bottlenecks where patients are not moving to appropriate levels of care
- Comparing staffing ratios, treatment volume, duration, and frequency across programs
- Running quarter-over-quarter or year-over-year comparisons of care utilization
The recommended primary analytical focus is GMH & PC. A secondary focus is GMH & PTSD.
Out-of-Scope Use
- Individual clinical decision-making for specific patients
- Use outside of VA Mental Health program administration contexts
- Any system not operating under VA data governance and privacy frameworks
- Re-identification of patients or sharing of protected health information beyond authorized VA data access agreements
Dataset Structure
Schema
Each row represents a unique patient x program x Fiscal Year Quarter (FYQ) x location of care (ChecklistID) combination.
A patient has a row for a given program only if they had a visit there or were assigned to a team during that FYQ.
| Variable | Type | Definition |
|---|---|---|
FYQ |
string | Fiscal Year Quarter of the visit or team membership (e.g., FY25Q4) |
DateRun |
date | Most recent quarterly extraction date |
MVIPersonSID |
integer | Unique patient identifier (Master Veteran Index) |
PatientSID |
integer | Patient identifier |
PatientName |
string | Patient name |
ChecklistID |
string | Location of enrollment or care: • BHIP/PACT: enrollment site • Community care: IVC-identified site • Programs: where the visit occurred • CRH: the hub providing care • Inpatient: bedsection location |
STA6A |
string | Medical Center Facility where care occurred |
Program |
string | MH program or BHIP/PACT team designation |
Team |
string | Team name within a program (BHIP/PACT teams, inpatient teams, or community care SEOC) |
StartDate |
date | • Date of first program visit (can be an earlier quarter) • Date of BHIP/PACT team enrollment • Date of inpatient/residential admission |
EndDate |
date | • Date of last program visit in quarter • Date of BHIP/PACT team de-enrollment • Date of inpatient/residential discharge |
Visits |
integer | Number of program visits in the quarter |
PriorQuarter |
boolean | Patient had visits or enrollment in the prior quarter for this program/team |
Homestation |
string | Patient's homestation from IMF (ChecklistID in IMF) |
Programs
| Program | Full Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BHIP | Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program | Team-based outpatient care; patients enrolled into a team |
| CommCare | Community Care | MH standardized episodes of care only |
| ED | Emergency Department | MH encounters only |
| GERI | Geriatric | Geriatric mental health |
| GMH | General Mental Health | BHIP clinic; central hub in the continuum |
| ICMHR | Intensive Community Mental Health Recovery | Assertive community treatment for severe, chronic mental illness |
| MHBed | Mental Health Bedsections | Acute inpatient, residential, and CLC admissions |
| PACT | Patient Aligned Care Team | Primary care team membership; patients enrolled into a team |
| PAIN | Pain | MH encounters only |
| PC | Primary Care | MH encounters only |
| PCMHI | Primary Care-Mental Health Integration | Behavioral health consultants embedded in primary care |
| PRRC | Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center | Recovery-oriented skills and community reintegration |
| PTSD | PTSD Clinical Team | Specialty PTSD treatment |
| SUD | Substance Use Disorder | Specialty addiction treatment |
| VOCR | Vocational Rehabilitation | Vocational and employment rehabilitation |
Team Variable Breakouts
The Team field provides sub-program granularity depending on Program:
- BHIP: individual BHIP team names
- PACT: individual PACT team names
- MHBed: type of bedsection (acute inpatient, residential, CLC)
- CommCare: MH Standardized Episodes of Care (SEOCs)
- Specialty / GMH: CRH (telehealth hub) and homestation breakouts
Organization Levels
Data can be aggregated at five hierarchical levels. Selecting a higher level includes all subordinate units.
| Level | Description | Key Field(s) |
|---|---|---|
| National | All VA facilities nationwide | (none) |
| VISN | Veterans Integrated Service Network; one VISN at a time | VISN identifier |
| Facility | VA Medical Center or facility | STA6A |
| Team | Clinical team within a facility | Team / ChecklistID |
| Patient | Individual patient record | MVIPersonSID / PatientSID |
Sample Cohort Sizes
The following figures come from the reference flow diagram and reflect a sample reporting period. GMH is the largest program by far and acts as the central node in the continuum.
| Program | Approx. Cohort Size |
|---|---|
| GMH | 840,000 |
| PCMHI | 179,000 |
| SUD | 51,000 |
| PTSD | 33,000 |
| VOCR | 15,000 |
| GERI | 15,000 |
| PRRC | 5,000 |
| ICMHR | 5,000 |
Sample inter-program flows for the same period:
| Flow | Patient Count |
|---|---|
| PCMHI to GMH | ~211,000 |
| GMH to PCMHI | ~118,000 |
| GMH total inflow | ~696,000 |
| GMH total outflow | ~732,000 |
Dataset Creation
Curation Rationale
Individual VA programs track quality within their own walls, but there has been no unified view of how patients move between programs across the continuum. CCOMP fills that gap by capturing patient-level program participation across quarters, making it possible to measure inter-program flow, identify where patients are stuck, and plan staffing and capacity accordingly.
Source Data
Data Collection and Processing
Data are extracted quarterly from VA administrative and clinical systems:
- Active Table:
OMHSP_PERC_MDSDev.CCOMP.PatientProgram(the two most recent fiscal year quarters: FY25Q4, FY26Q1) - Historical Table:
OMHSP_PERC_MDSHistorical.Staffing.CCOMP_PatientProgram_FY[YY](one table per completed fiscal year)
FYQ format is FY[YY]Q[Q] (e.g., FY25Q4). The DateRun field records when the quarterly extraction ran.
Who are the source data producers?
Data come from VA clinical and administrative systems reflecting real encounters between Veterans and VA Mental Health staff across all 15 programs. The Informatics Section of Mental Health Service at VA Central Office maintains the data.
Annotations
Annotation process
No human annotations. Program, team, and organizational assignments come directly from VA administrative records (enrollment systems, scheduling systems, and inpatient admission records).
Who are the annotators?
N/A
Personal and Sensitive Information
This dataset does not contain protected health information (PHI) but includes:
- Patient Identifiers (
MVIPersonSID,PatientSID,PatientName) - Treatment History
- Facility
Access is governed by VA data use agreements and applicable federal privacy law. Do not share, publish, or use this dataset outside of authorized VA data environments.
Bias, Risks, and Limitations
- VA-only population: Data reflect Veterans enrolled in VA care and do not generalize to non-VA mental health populations or community providers (except for CommCare episodes).
- Program participation as proxy: A row in this dataset means a patient had a visit or enrollment, not that they received a particular diagnosis or level of care quality.
- Quarterly granularity: FYQ-level data can miss within-quarter transitions or short episodes.
- Historical gaps: Cross-year analyses require joining across multiple historical tables.
- Clog dynamics: High volumes in intensive programs (e.g., PRRC, ICMHR) may reflect system stasis rather than clinical appropriateness.
Recommendations
Work within VA data governance frameworks.
Any analysis using PatientName, MVIPersonSID, or PatientSID must comply with VA privacy and security policies.
Aggregate program-level analyses that strip individual patient identifiers are preferred for operational reporting.
Citation [optional]
BibTeX:
[More Information Needed]
APA:
[More Information Needed]
Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| FYQ | Fiscal Year Quarter, formatted as FY[YY]Q[Q] (e.g., FY25Q4 = Q4 of Fiscal Year 2025) |
| VISN | Veterans Integrated Service Network, the regional administrative grouping of VA facilities |
| STA6A | VA facility station code identifying a Medical Center or site of care |
| ChecklistID | Location identifier used for enrollment (BHIP/PACT), visit site, or bedsection depending on program |
| IMF | Identity Management Function, the VA system from which homestation is derived |
| SEOC | Standardized Episode of Care, the unit of community care authorization |
| CRH | Community Resource and Referral Hub, a telehealth hub providing care to remote Veterans |
| CLC | Community Living Center, a VA long-term care setting |
| RRTP | Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program |
| MHICM | Mental Health Intensive Case Management (see also ICMHR) |
| PHI | Protected Health Information |
More Information
VA Mental Health Continuum of Care
CCOMP covers the full VA mental health care continuum, organized into seven levels:
- Self-Help and Technology: self-help apps (stress, PTSD, insomnia) and the Veterans Crisis Line (24/7)
- Primary Care Integration (Mild to Moderate Needs): PCMHI and telephone-based care management
- Outpatient Care (Moderate to Severe Needs): General Mental Health Clinics, BHIP, and specialty clinics (PTSD, SUD, Peer Support)
- Intensive Outpatient and Community-Based Care: IOP, ICMHR/MHICM, and PRRC
- Residential Services (Live-in, Highly Structured): RRTP and Domiciliary Care
- Acute Inpatient Care (Immediate Safety and Stabilization): 24-hour hospital care at VAMCs or via community providers
- Community and Specialized Care: Vet Centers and Family and Couple Services
Interface Design Reference
The dataset drives a program flow visualization interface. Three reference diagrams capture the intended design:
Program Node and Flow Structure
Core visual conventions:
- Program nodes are labeled rectangles; border color encodes care tier (blue = primary care, gold = GMH/BHIP, red = specialty, teal = inpatient/residential)
- Directional arrows show inter-program patient flow; arrow weight encodes volume; thick orange arrows indicate high-volume bidirectional flow (e.g., PCMHI and GMH)
- Team sub-structure is revealed on node expand (e.g., Primary Care shows Team A/B/C; BHIP shows named teams)
- Layout: PCMHI on the left, GMH as the central hub, specialty programs to the right, inpatient/residential on the far right
Quantitative Flow Diagram
Numeric display conventions:
- Cohort size shown on each node (e.g., GMH = 840k, PCMHI = 179k, PTSD = 33k, SUD = 51k)
- Flow connectors carry a current-period count (black) and a prior-period count (red italic)
- Node-level totals shown above-left (inflow) and above-right (outflow), e.g., GMH: 696k inflow, 732k outflow
- The specialty cluster (PTSD, SUD, PRRC, ICMHR, VOCR, GERI) is grouped in a red-bordered region with labeled bidirectional flow to/from GMH
Topology Graph Style Reference
Style reference (from CamelBee, unrelated to VA) for a force-directed interactive graph: color-coded node cards, directed labeled edges, left-to-right layout reflecting the care continuum, and clickable nodes that surface program-level detail without cluttering the main view.
Interface Metrics
Tier 1: Core Flow View (always displayed on the diagram)
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Program Cohort Size | Total unique patients active in a program for the selected period. Displayed on or near each program node. |
| Inter-Program Patient Flow | Patients moving into and out of each program from/to every other program. Displayed on directional connectors; current and prior-period values shown separately. |
Tier 2: Program Detail (accessible on node click/expand)
| Metric | Description | Build Status |
|---|---|---|
| Staffing Ratio | Staff-to-patient ratio per program. | Existing infrastructure available |
| Patient Treatment Volume | Treatment encounters (visits) within a program for the selected period. | Needs to be built |
| Patient Treatment Duration | Days from StartDate to EndDate per patient per program. |
Needs to be built |
| Patient Treatment Frequency | Average visits per patient per unit time. | Needs to be built |
| Treatment Quality Process Metrics | Standardized MH process quality measures from MHIS_home.aspx. |
Link to existing report |
Interface Parameters
Two global filters apply across all views (stored in src/data/):
- FYQ (
src/data/fyq.json): single or multi-quarter selection; current and prior quarter selected by default - Organization Level (
src/data/organizations.json): hierarchical dropdown from National down to Patient
Dataset Card Authors
Elliot Fielstein Director of Clinical and Data Analytics, Informatics Section of Mental Health Service Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office, Washington DC
Dataset Card Contact
Elliot Fielstein Director of Clinical and Data Analytics, Informatics Section of Mental Health Service Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office, Washington DC