Abstract
This research investigated state variation in the use of out-of-home mental health services among children and youth enrolled in Medicaid during 2003. Medicaid claims from three states were used to describe the demographic and diagnostic characteristics of children and youth under age 22 who received mental health services in general hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, psychiatric residential treatment facilities, and other residential treatment settings and to examine their lengths of stay, repeat stays, and expenditures. Depending on the state, 6–13% of children and youth with a mental health diagnosis received out-of-home services during the year; 37–58% of these children and youth had more than one out-of-home stay. Out-of-home mental health services accounted for 21–75% of Medicaid mental health expenditures for children and youth, depending on the state. States varied considerably in lengths of stay and per beneficiary expenditures for out-of-home care. Although some similarities in out-of-home care were found across states, substantial state variation in out-of-home care warrants further research in the context of state service systems and Medicaid policies.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by a contract between Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., and SAMHSA (Contract Number 280-03-1501). The views expressed here are those of the authors and not necessarily SAMHSA. We are grateful for the support of Jeffrey Buck and Judith Teich at SAMHSA and for the expertise provided by Allison Barrett, Deo Bencio, Ann Cherlow, and James Verdier in guiding our use of Medicaid data. Carol Irvin provided helpful feedback on early drafts. We appreciate the work of Sharon Clark in helping to format the tables and figures and prepare the manuscript for publication.
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Brown, J., Natzke, B., Ireys, H. et al. State Variation in Out-of-Home Medicaid Mental Health Services for Children and Youth: An Examination of Residential Treatment and Inpatient Hospital Services. Adm Policy Ment Health 37, 318–326 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-009-0235-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-009-0235-x