Best Practice Guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of service recipients were required as a provisional agreement between the Bureau of TennCare and MHDD in 1999.

The TDMHDD Office of Clinical Leadership (OCL) coordinated volunteer professionals, clinicians, university clinical specialists, providers, BHO representatives, and other professionals to develop evidencebased treatment guidelines for adults and children.

The Best Practice Advisory Group consisted of 44 members divided into four committees to work on (a) Child, (b) Adult, (c) A&D, and (d) Mental Retardation issues. The OMD assembled the guidelines from Committee recommendations, relying mostly on adaptations of evidencedbased guidelines from the APA, the AACAP, and other national organizations.

Chronology