THE MULTISTATE INFORMATION SYSTEM (MSIS) IS THE SYSTEM USED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH'S COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTERS TO GATHER DETAILED DEMOGRAPHIC, CLINICAL, AND OTHER INFORMATION ON PATIENTS. CENTERS IN NEW HAVEN, CONN., BOSTON, MASS., POMONA, N.Y., AND WASHINGTON, D.C., PARTICIPATED IN THE FORMULATION OF PROCESS OBJECTIVES AND EVALUATIVE MEASURES. THE CENTERS' FIRST PROCESS OBJECTIVES -- TO ADMIT ALL RESIDENTS OF THE CATCHMENT (SERVICE) AREA WITHOUT REGARD TO ETHNICITY OR SOCIOECONOMIC LEVEL AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NEEDS OF THE SERVICE POPULATION -IS MEASURED BY COMPARING THE PERCENTAGES OF THE VARIOUS SOCIOECONOMIC AND ETHNIC GROUPS IN THE GENERAL POPULATION AND IN THE PATIENT POPULATION. THE SECOND OBJECTIVE -- THAT THE VARIOUS SOCIOECONOMIC AND ETHNIC GROUPS SHOULD RECEIVE TREATMENT ACCORDING TO THEIR NEEDS -- IS MEASURED BY DETERMINING VARIATIONS AMONG GROUPS OF PATIENTS IN TYPE AND QUANTITY OF TREATMENT RECEIVED, AS EVIDENCED BY MODALITY OF ADMISSION (EMERGENCY, INPATIENT, ETC.) AND BY THE NUMBER AND TYPE OF DIRECT PATIENT SERVICES RENDERED. THE THIRD PROCESS OBJECTIVE IS THAT CLIENTS SHOULD RECEIVE CONTINUOUS CARE AS LONG AS IT IS THERAPEUTICALLY NECESSARY. ATTAINMENT OF THIS OBJECTIVE IS MEASURED BY DETERMINING THE PROPORTION OF CLIENTS WHO DO NOT KEEP SCHEDULED APPOINTMENTS, EXAMINING VARIATIONS THAT PROPORTION AMONG GROUPS OF PATIENTS, AND COMPARING SERVICE DELIVERY TO 'NO SHOWS' WITH SERVICE DELIVERY TO PATIENTS WHO KEEP THEIR APPOINTMENTS; AND BY DETERMINING THE PROPORTIONS OF TERMINATED PATIENTS WHO WITHDREW FROM TREATMENT WITHOUT NOTIFYING THE CENTER, WHO WERE UNRESPONSIVE TO REFERRALS, OR FOR WHOM FURTHER CARE WAS INDICATED BUT NOT AVAILABLE. DETAILS OF THE APPLICATION OF THESE MEASURES TO THE DATA COLLECTED ROUTINELY BY THE STUDY CENTERS ARE PRESENTED, AND THE MAJOR EVALUATION FINDINGS ARE SUMMARIZED TO INDICATE THE KIND OF INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE EVALUATIVE PARADIGM DEVELOPED. SUPPORTING DATA AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)