Case Study: Mental Health Center of Denver achieves $11,174.73 average annual savings per consumer and dramatic reductions in hospitalizations with Netsmart CareRecord™ (Netsmart)

Mental Health Center of Denver, Netsmart Focus on Consumer-Driven Care

Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) is a full‑service adult and child behavioral health organization that shifted from a hierarchical, illness-focused model to a whole‑person, recovery‑driven approach. The challenge was to empower consumers, coordinate multidisciplinary teams, and embed recovery practices into everyday workflows so treatment plans are consumer‑led and address physical, social and emotional needs as well as symptoms.

MHCD integrated its Reaching Recovery tools — Recovery Needs Level, Recovery Marker Inventory, Consumer Recovery Measure and PRO — into Netsmart’s CareRecord and CarePathways EHR to enable real‑time communication, electronic reminders and consumer‑driven treatment planning. The result: average annual savings of $11,174.73 per consumer (including $3.6M from moving ~300 consumers out of intensive ACT care), plus stronger outcomes — 81% improved/sustained symptom management, 69% improved/sustained service participation, 74% active growth, 70% fewer ER visits, 50% fewer hospital admissions, 80% fewer psychiatric hospitalizations and a 97% reduction in bed days.

Mental Health Center of Denver

Roy Starks

Vice President of Rehabilitation Services and Reaching Recovery