The Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) defines Follow-Up after Hospitalization for Mental Illness as the percentage of youth (6 years of age and older) who were hospitalized for treatment of selected mental illness or intentional self-harm diagnoses and who had a follow-up visit with a mental health provider within seven days of discharge. Timely follow-up care with a qualified mental health provider can improve patient outcomes, decrease the likelihood of hospital readmissions and decrease the overall cost of care. The three months following psychiatric hospitalization carries a 100-fold increase in the risk of suicide. Research indicates that youth who meet this metric have a 56% reduction in their risk of death by suicide in days eight through 180 post-discharge. Partners For Kids has developed a set of Best Practice Guidelines to support your practices.