The Patient Characteristics Survey (PCS)
What is the PCS?
The PCS is a biennial survey of public mental health service providers that collects demographic, social, clinical, and insurance characteristics about the clients who are served during a one-week period in the survey year.
Why is the PCS so important?
The PCS is the only Office of Mental Health data source that collects this type of client-level information from all public mental health service programs. Due to an exceptional level of cooperation and participation from service providers, the PCS is a reliable and invaluable resource for helping to manage New York State's public mental health system, complying with federal reporting requirements, assisting local governments with the mental health services planning process, and informing the distribution of funding.
Survey Resources
Preparing for the Survey
- 2017 PCS Calendar – Includes all of the important dates for 2017
- What's New for 2017 – Summarizes changes to the form and application
- 2017 PCS Webinar Training | Presentation Slides
The Data Entry Web Application
- 2017 PCS Application (User Identification and Password Required)
PCS Reference Materials
- 2017 PCS Users Manual – Includes instructions for the PCS Application
- 2017 Survey Form (for informational purposes only – not for data collection)
- 2017 PCS Guidelines – Covers general reporting instructions (PDF)
- 2017 Using the Electronic Data Upload Feature Contains information on File Layout, Validations, Valid County Zip Code Combinations Accepted in 2017 PCS, Valid DSM-5 Codes Sorted by Label Accepted in the 2017 PCS, Valid DSM-5 Codes Sorted by Codes Accepted in the 2017 PCS, and Data Upload Notification Form.
- 2017 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)
Other Resources
- Mental Health Provider Data Exchange (MHPD) web page – includes the MHPD Basic User Manual and Facility Survey Manual
- Security Management System (SMS) web page – includes the SMS Reference Manual
- PCS Reports and Data Briefs web page – Access to the PCS public web portal
Questions about the information on this page or issues with document accessibility can be directed to the PCS Team in the Surveillance and Surveys Unit.