Clinical Practice Guidelines

The Quality Improvement/Utilization Management Committee (QI/UM) delegates responsibility for the evaluation of clinical practice guidelines (CPG) to the Credentialing Committee. All the materials on this page, including CPG, condensed versions, Guideline Watch, executive summaries, and TIPS, were readopted by the committee on March 27, 2025.

Applied behavior analysis

Source: The Council of Autism Service Providers

• Applied Behavior Analysis Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Guidance for Healthcare Funders, Regulatory Bodies, Service Providers, and Consumers (3rd edition, 2024) (PDF)
  • Executive summary included in the practice guideline

Assessment and management of patients at risk for suicide

Source: Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense

• Clinical Practice Guidelines for Assessment and Management of Patients at Risk for Suicide (PDF) (April 2024)
• Patients at Risk for Suicide: Provider Summary (PDF)
• Patients at Risk for Suicide: Pocket Guide (PDF)

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics

• Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents (October 2019)
• The DSM-5 and Adult ADHD: Introductory (PDF)

Bipolar disorder

Source: Veteran’s Affairs/Department of Defense 

• Full Clinical Practice Guideline  (2^nd edition, 2023)
• Provider Summary
• Quick Reference Guide
• Patient Summary
• A Guide for Family and Friends

Family-based mental health services (FBMHS)

The Family-Based Mental Health Practice Guidelines (FBPG) (PDF) is the product of a workgroup that consists of consumers, providers, county stakeholders, the Capital Area Behavioral Health Collaborative, and PerformCare. These guidelines are intended to serve four purposes:

• To improve FBMHS service outcomes for members and their families.
• To increase the coherence and consistency of service delivery in the practice of conducting FBMHS.
• To promote continuous quality improvement and best utilization management practices associated with the service delivery of FBMHS.
• To provide a common understanding of the FBMHS level of care and the practice standards within a behavioral health managed care environment.

This FBPG will clarify PerformCare's expectations for providers of FBMHS and serve as a basis for monitoring the quality of FBMHS treatment and programs in the PerformCare provider network. Please note that although the FBPG were designed in compliance with relevant regulation, the FBPG are guidelines adopted by PerformCare and not to be interpreted as statutory or regulatory. These documents should be the basis for FBMHS practice and for the staff delivering these services who should be familiar with these regulations. PerformCare implemented these guidelines in November 2015.

• Executive Summary: Family-Based Mental Health Practice Guidelines (FBPG) (PDF)
• Condensed Clinical Practice Guideline for Family-Based Mental Health Services (FBMHS) (PDF)

Major depressive disorder

Source: Veteran’s Affairs/Department of Defense

• Full Guideline (4th edition, 2022)
• Provider Summary
• Patient Summary
• Patient Self-Management

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Permission granted to link to the American Psychological Association

• Clinical Practice Guidelines for The Treatment of PTSD in Adults (February 2025)
• Guideline Grid

Psychiatric evaluation of adults

Source: American Psychiatric Association

• Practice Guidelines for the Psychiatric Evaluation of Adults (Third Edition, 2016)
• Executive Summary: Practice Guidelines for the Psychiatric Evaluation of Adults

Schizophrenia

Source: American Psychiatric Association

• Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Schizophrenia (Third Edition, 2020)
• Executive Summary: Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Schizophrenia
• Training: APA Practice Guideline on the Treatment of Patients with Schizophrenia

Substance use disorders (SUD)

Source: Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense

• Full Guideline (5th edition, 2021)
• Provider Summary
• Patient Summary
• TIP 26 Substance Abuse Among Older Adults (PDF)
  • Condensed TIP 26 Substance Abuse Among Older Adults (PDF)
• TIP 42 Substance Abuse Treatment for Persons With Co-Occurring Disorders (PDF)
  • Condensed TIP 42 Substance Abuse Treatment for Persons With Co-Occurring Disorders (PDF)
• TIP 32 Treatment of Adolescents With Substance Use Disorders (PDF)
  • Condensed TIP 32 Treatment of Adolescents with Substance Use Disorders (PDF)
• TIP 63 Medication for Opioid Use Disorder
  • Executive Summary of TIP 63 Medication for Opioid Use Disorder

Telepsychology  

Sources: American Psychological Association 

• Guideline for the Practice of Telepsychology  (2024)