Community Mental Health Centers - Publicly funded outpatient services
Private Psychiatric Practices - Outpatient psychiatry and medication management
Counseling and Therapy Centers - Individual, group, and family therapy
Child/Adolescent Mental Health - Pediatric outpatient behavioral health
Substance Abuse Treatment - Outpatient addiction services
Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) - Structured day treatment
Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) - Day hospital services

📋 Regulatory Framework

This template supports compliance with:

The Joint Commission - Behavioral Health Care accreditation
CARF - Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities
State Mental Health Authority - State licensing and certification
HIPAA - Mental health information privacy
42 CFR Part 2 - Substance abuse treatment confidentiality
State Licensing Boards - Psychologist, social worker, counselor regulations
Medicare/Medicaid - Outpatient mental health billing requirements
APA Practice Guidelines - Evidence-based treatment standards
SAMHSA - Substance abuse treatment guidelines

Repository Structure

├── SOPs/
│   ├── Intake-Assessment/     # Referral, intake, diagnostic evaluation
│   ├── Treatment/             # Therapy protocols, medication management
│   ├── Crisis-Management/     # Crisis response, safety planning, hospitalization
│   ├── Documentation/         # Progress notes, treatment plans, outcomes
│   ├── Compliance/            # Consent, confidentiality, records
│   └── General/               # Document control, training, CAPA
├── Forms/
│   ├── Intake-Forms/          # Registration, consent, authorization, history
│   ├── Assessment-Tools/      # PHQ-9, GAD-7, AUDIT, depression/anxiety scales
│   ├── Treatment-Plans/       # Initial and updated treatment plan templates
│   ├── Safety-Plans/          # Crisis plans, safety contracts
│   ├── Progress-Notes/        # Session documentation templates
│   └── Training/              # Competency assessments
├── Policies/                  # Practice policies
├── Work-Instructions/         # Step-by-step procedures
└── Templates/                 # Document templates

Document Numbering Convention

POL-XXX: Policies
SOP-INT-XXX: Intake/Assessment SOPs
SOP-TX-XXX: Treatment SOPs
SOP-CRS-XXX: Crisis Management SOPs
SOP-DOC-XXX: Documentation SOPs
SOP-CMP-XXX: Compliance SOPs
WI-XXX: Work Instructions
FRM-XXX: Forms and Records

🤖 AI-Powered Assistance

This repository includes AtomicAI, your outpatient mental health QMS assistant. Mention @atomicai in any issue or pull request to:

Draft intake and assessment procedures
Create treatment protocols for specific conditions
Generate crisis intervention and safety planning SOPs
Develop progress note documentation standards
Create consent and confidentiality procedures
Review documents for accreditation compliance

Example Prompts

"@atomicai create an SOP for psychiatric intake evaluation"
"@atomicai draft a crisis intervention and safety planning protocol"
"@atomicai write a progress note documentation standard per billing requirements"
"@atomicai create a treatment plan template for depression"
"@atomicai develop a no-show and missed appointment policy"
"@atomicai create a telehealth informed consent procedure"

Getting Started

Establish Consent Procedures - Configure informed consent and authorization forms
Standardize Assessments - Implement validated screening tools
Define Documentation Standards - Set up progress note and treatment plan templates
Create Crisis Protocols - Establish safety planning and escalation procedures
Train Clinicians - Use competency assessment forms

Key Documents to Create First

Intake Assessment SOP - Standardized evaluation process
Treatment Planning Policy - Individualized treatment plan requirements
Crisis Response Procedure - Suicidal/homicidal ideation management
Safety Plan Template - Client crisis planning tool
Progress Note Standards - Documentation requirements for sessions
Informed Consent Forms - Treatment consent, HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2
Telehealth Policy - Virtual care protocols and consent

Special Considerations for Outpatient Mental Health

Intake and Assessment

Referral management and triage
Comprehensive diagnostic evaluation
Validated screening instruments
Treatment matching and level of care
Insurance authorization

Treatment Services

Evidence-based therapy protocols
Medication evaluation and management
Group therapy programming
Family and couples therapy
Care coordination with other providers

Crisis Management

Suicide risk assessment
Safety planning
Crisis hotline resources
Hospitalization criteria and procedures
Post-crisis follow-up

Documentation and Compliance

HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2 requirements
Progress note medical necessity
Treatment plan updates
Outcome measurement
Supervision and peer review

This template is maintained by AtomicQMS. For questions, open an issue in this repository.