MCAP™ Admission and Discharge Criteria Development

Development Process:

MCAP Criteria are widely considered to be the most valid in the field. Both Medical/Surgical and Mental Health criteria are developed and updated annually through a rigorous and structured process, which is based on medical evidence. The process is ongoing with a thorough review of all of the criteria annually, with purposeful revisions based on updated information. There is a constant furtherance of the ease of use resulting in the refinement of both the words used and the underlying structure of the criteria. This process results in a revised set of criteria being released each year in the spring.

The development process includes review of the following:

• Literature from internationally recognized peer reviewed
  medical journals;
• Current research including outcome studies; clinicians, agencies, and organizations;
• Visits to facilities providing various levels of care; and
• Ongoing review twice-yearly by international panels of medical experts. The Oak Group is committed to continuously refining the MCAP Criteria so that it remains the easiest to use, most clinically valid system for determining optimal service level placement and for assessing the factors that affect the efficient delivery of care.