Developed and commercialized by two psychology professors at Brigham Young University in Provo, the OQ Measures system - or a modified version of it - is used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to measure missionary preparedness. Mormon-owned BYU also uses it in its on-campus clinics.

But it's bigger than Utah.

Founders Gary Burlingame and Mike Lambert have spent the past decade culling data and scientifically proving the tool on some 17.5 million patients worldwide. It's used by major private insurers, such as PacifiCare, Aetna Life and Human Affairs International, as well as by two firms with historic ties to the LDS Church, insurer DMBA and Intermountain Health Care (IHC). It has been translated into 15 languages.

"This is the best thing going. It just happened to be in our backyard," said new director of Utah's Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Mark Payne.

For five years, public clinics, such as Valley Mental Health, have used a paper version of the "OQ" for youth called the "YOQ," but inconsistently. The tool does is not used to diagnose mental illness or prescribe treatment; instead, it evaluates whether an individual is getting better or feeling worse.

Payne now wants to automate and expand it for use on all patients under a five-year, half-million-dollar contract with OQ Measures in Salt Lake City. Founded by Burlingame and Lambert, the company was the lone bidder for the contract, which is still under negotiation.

OQ is touted as a patient-centered alternative to the managed care model, which sets arbitrary caps on treatments based on what works inexpensively for most people. Instead, treatment coverage is based in part on an individual's progress.

"We're trying to manage care by how individual patients respond to the care. We're much more outcomes driven," said co-founder Lambert, president of the international Society for Psychotherapy Research.

The goal is to have the system up and running by October. Mental health advocates like the idea.

"I'm thrilled with the recovery focus that the division is taking," said Sherri Wittwer, president of the Utah chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Here's how it works: Every time patients visit a clinic, they'll answer 45 questions to assess their psychological "vital signs." The survey takes about five minutes and is done on an electronic, handheld computer, or at a kiosk.

The responses are transmitted to a secured computer database located at OQ Measures. The computer crunches the data, and within seconds, spits out a report for the clinician, rating the patient's level of distress.

The computer also tracks a patient's recovery and sends out alerts when someone shows signs of getting sicker or is well enough to be discharged.

Diagnoses and treatments will still be left up to clinic staff. But Lambert said the alerts help therapists "problem solve" and focus on the sickest patients.

"It's no different than for the medical profession. If I have high blood pressure, my doctor will prescribe diet and exercise. If it works, there's nothing more to be done. But if I don't respond, he or she may prescribe medicine," said Lambert. "It's the way we should have been practicing for years. It will be the way we practice in the future."

In a recent in-house study, Lambert said the OQ reduced the rate at which patients' conditions worsened by two-thirds.

Because it will be used statewide, the tool also will help officials track health trends and measure treatment success.

Utah's public mental health and substance abuse system, which includes the State Hospital, serves 61,000 clients, mostly low-income Utahns on Medicaid. But due to federal cuts, many of the state's poorest citizens are going without treatment.

Convincing lawmakers to restore the funding has proved difficult without proof that they'll see a return on their investment, said Payne.

As researchers, Lambert and Burlingame also stand to benefit, because they'll have access to more patient data.

Payne stressed no one, other than therapists, will have be able to view patient names or other identifying information. He has co-authored academic articles with Burlingame, but said he has no ownership in OQ Measures.

"This is about everyone partnering together to get clients well," said Payne. "I'd like to see it adopted nationally."

kstewart@sltrib.com