Report Type: Evaluation Governance Provider Resource
Evaluation Guidelines for Behavioral Health Services
YEAR
2025
AUTHOR / ORGANIZATION
NM Health Care Authority, Behavioral Health Service Division (Legilsative Finance Committee)
GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE
Behavioral Health Region, Statewide (New Mexico)
What is this?
This is a state-level policy guidance document establishing mandatory evaluation requirements for behavioral health regional plans in New Mexico. It was developed collaboratively by the New Mexico Health Care Authority's Behavioral Health Services Division and the Legislative Finance Committee, dated June 1, 2025. The document provides standardized templates, logic model frameworks, and evaluation plan components that all regions must complete. It references Section 6-3A-3 NMSA 1978 for evidence classification definitions and the NM Behavioral Health Standards of Care for programming alignment. The methodology emphasizes process evaluation, outcome measurement, and determining the evidence base for each service offered.
Summary
These evaluation guidelines establish a comprehensive framework for assessing behavioral health services across New Mexico’s regional system. Regions must develop plans that include clearly defined goals, logic models linking resources to outcomes, evidence-base determinations for each program, gap analyses, performance metrics, and evaluation designs. The guidelines prioritize services that are Medicaid or Title IV-E reimbursable and require programs to classify their evidence level (evidence-based, research-based, promising, or not applicable). For Bernalillo County, this framework provides critical structure for justifying funding requests, demonstrating program effectiveness, and aligning local services with state standards. The regional template and logic model requirements offer a clear methodology for documenting how SUD treatment, crisis services, and other behavioral health programs connect inputs to measurable outcomes. Programs without existing research evidence will require more rigorous evaluation designs with outcome measures, creating opportunities to build the evidence base for innovative local interventions. The staggered timeline allows regions to develop capacity while maintaining accountability, with annual progress updates due each November.
BH Systems Change Recommendations
The report contains explicit requirements rather than recommendations: 1. All regional plans must include logic models connecting resources, activities, outputs, and outcomes 2. Services must be classified by evidence level (evidence-based, research-based, promising, or justification for non-applicability) 3. Programs without research evidence require more thorough evaluation designs with outcome measures 4. Regions should prioritize Medicaid and Title IV-E reimbursable services 5. Gap identification and tracking mechanisms must be established 6. Performance metrics with monitoring and reporting plans are mandatory 7. External evaluator contracts should be considered for comprehensive evaluation design
How to Use for Systems Planning
**What this report IS useful for:** - Structuring regional behavioral health plans to meet state requirements - Developing logic models that link program activities to measurable outcomes - Understanding evidence classification requirements for funding justification - Planning evaluation timelines and progress reporting schedules - Aligning local services with Medicaid reimbursement priorities **What this report DOES NOT provide:** - Specific service recommendations or gap analyses for any region - Funding amounts or budget allocations - Detailed outcome measures or standardized assessment tools - Technical assistance resources or evaluator contacts - Specific evidence-based program recommendations
Key Facts & Data Points
- Evaluation timeline spans January 2026 (initial plan due) through September 2027 (final report due) - Regions must submit annual progress updates by November 1 each year - Plans must include 3-5 overarching program goals - Four-year implementation period: 2025-2026 through 2028-2029 - Programs must be classified as evidence-based, research-based, promising, or justify why research is not applicable - Priority given to Medicaid-reimbursable and Title IV-E reimbursable services - Executive Committee will provide six months of orientation to regions ahead of implementation
Priority Services & Findings
**SUD Organizations** -Services must align with NM Behavioral Health Standards of Care and prioritize Medicaid-compensable covered services outlined in the Behavioral Health Billing and Policy Manual. **Mental Health / Crisis Care** -Logic models must specify short-term and long-term outcome measures including BH symptom scores and access metrics; evaluation methods may include record reviews, onsite visits, surveys, and interviews. **Integrated Primary Care** -Guidelines emphasize Medicaid State Plan alignment and billing manual compliance, suggesting integrated services should demonstrate reimbursement eligibility. **School-Based / Youth Services** -Target population documentation must specify eligibility criteria and sub-populations including age and special health care needs; Title IV-E reimbursable services should be prioritized.
Immediate Actions for Systems Planners
-Review all current behavioral health programs against the evidence classification framework (evidence-based, research-based, promising) and document justifications -Develop logic models for each primary service using the provided template, identifying inputs, actors, activities, outputs, and outcomes -Assess current services for Medicaid and Title IV-E reimbursement eligibility and prioritize accordingly -Establish data collection infrastructure and identify responsible parties for each metric -Draft problem statements and 3-5 overarching goals for each service area -Identify gaps between current evaluation capacity and requirements, including potential need for external evaluator contracts -Designate primary points of contact for annual progress updates -Create internal timeline to meet January 1, 2026 initial evaluation plan deadline
Key Contacts
**/ - NM Health Care Authority, Behavioral Health Services Division **/ - Legislative Finance Committee **/- Administration for Children & Families