Measure Description
This measure represents the unique number of individuals with a substance use disorder (SUD) receiving at least one service each month through the San Francisco Health Network (SFHN). In this context, “unique” means that an individual is counted only once during the month, regardless of how many substance use services received.
Individuals may receive substance use services ranging from:
- Primary care related to a diagnosed substance use disorder
- Residential treatment and residential stepdown
- Withdrawal management such as outpatient and opioid treatment programs (buprenorphine, methadone)
The monthly count of individuals receiving substance use disorder services in the SFHN is an output measure tracked by the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Behavioral Health Services (BHS) unit. This measure helps the City track the expansive delivery of substance use treatment services across the SFHN.
Why this Measure is Important
In October 2022, DPH and Mayor London Breed introduced the City's "Overdose Prevention Plan" to reduce overdose deaths and address racial disparities. The plan builds on the City's previous and existing efforts, such as the expansion of mental health and substance use services for people experiencing homelessness under Mental Health San Francisco.
Tracking the count of individuals receiving substance use disorder services at SFHN helps the City track its progress in expanding the delivery of substance use disorder services to accomplish goals set forth in the plan.
The interactive chart below presents the monthly count of individuals receiving mental health treatment services in the SFHN.
The chart’s legend is below:
- Y-axis: Count of individuals receiving substance use treatment services
- X-axis: Calendar year
Substance Use Treatment Services in the SFHN
Data notes and sources
Data notes and sources
Data lag: a lag of four months is needed for the monthly count to stabilize.
How Performance is Measured
Calculation methodology: Substance use data are pulled from SFHN's electronic health record system based on patient completed encounters in any department documented with an ICD-10 substance use diagnoses code. Patients/clients may access multiple services over the reporting period, however, each individual is counted only one time for this metric.
Reporting for this measure began in July 2023. Historical data was provided for each month through March 2023.
The monthly count of unique clients with a substance use disorder receiving treatment services peaked in October 2019 and has since trended downward. Current efforts to expand services are underway.
Data Notes and Source
This measure counts unique individuals diagnosed with a substance use disorder receiving care among a variety of treatment settings across the SFHN. Patients/clients may access multiple services over the reporting period, however each individual is counted only one time for this metric.
Data is sourced from the SFHN electronic health record (EHR) system called “Epic” and from the Behavioral Health EHR called “Avatar”; DPH is working to migrate all BHS metrics to Epic by the end of 2024.
Epic substance use data are pulled based on ICD-10 substance use diagnoses codes for each patient. Data from Avatar are pulled based on a code that distinguishes substance use from mental health services.
Please note, due to alternative reporting methods, data from some withdrawal management and residential programs are excluded from this metric.
Individuals accessing care in low-barrier DPH settings such as SOMA Rise, and street response teams including Street Overdose Response Team (SORT) and Post Overdose Engagement Team (POET) are also excluded from this metric.
Data lag: A lag of 4 months is needed for the monthly count to stabilize.
Monthly Scorecard vs. Fiscal Year Actuals: The numbers displayed on the Public Health Scorecard page represents a moving, monthly average of unique individuals served from the beginning of the Fiscal Year. This number may differ from reported year-end actuals due to unique individuals counted within a year-long timeframe rather than monthly.
Additional Information
- To learn more about the mental health and substance use services available to San Franciscans through DPH's Behavior Health division, visit Behavioral Health's website.
- Read the City's Overdose Prevention Plan published in 2022.
- Visit San Francisco’s open data portal to view or download the Scorecard Measures data set.
City Performance Scorecards
This page is part of the City Performance Scorecards.
Return to the Public Health Scorecards Homepage.
Return to the City Performance Scorecards Home Page.