The Patient Characteristics Survey (PCS)
What is the PCS?
The PCS is conducted every two years, and collects demographic, clinical, and service-related information for each person who receives a public mental health service during a specified one-week period.
Why is the PCS so important?
The PCS is the only data source that collects specific client-level information from all public mental health service programs. It is a reliable resource for helping to manage New York State's public mental health system.
The data informs:
- compliance with federal reporting requirements
- planning process for local governments with the mental health services
- distribution of funding
Survey Resources
Preparing for the Survey
- 2025 PCS Calendar – Includes all of the important dates for 2025
- What's New for 2025 – Summarizes changes to the form and application
- Survey Training
The Data Entry Web Application
- 2023 PCS Application (Available: Oct 23 – Nov 22, 2023)
(User Identification and Password Required)
- PCS -OKTA Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Guidance
PCS Reference Materials
- 2023 PCS User Manual
- 2025 Survey Form (for informational purposes only – not for data collection)
- 2023 PCS Guidelines – Covers general reporting instructions (PDF)
- 2025 Using the Electronic Data Upload Feature - Contains information on:
- 2023 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.