We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
The effects of integrating behavioral health into primary care for low-income children.
- Authors
Cole, Megan B.; Qin, Qiuyuan; Sheldrick, Radley C.; Morley, Debra S.; Bair‐Merritt, Megan H.; Bair-Merritt, Megan H
- Abstract
<bold>Objective: </bold>To evaluate the impact of TEAM UP-an initiative that fully integrates behavioral health services into pediatric primary care in three Boston-area Community Health Centers (CHCs)-on health care utilization and costs.<bold>Data Sources: </bold>2014-2017 claims data on continuously enrolled children from a Massachusetts Medicaid managed care plan.<bold>Study Design: </bold>We used a difference-in-difference approach with inverse probability of treatment weights to compare outcomes in children receiving primary care at TEAM UP CHCs versus comparison site CHCs, in the pre (2014-2016q2)- versus post (2016q3-2017)-intervention periods. Utilization outcomes included emergency department visits, inpatient admissions, primary care visits, and outpatient/professional visits (all cause and those with mental health (MH) diagnoses). Cost outcomes included total cost of care (inpatient, outpatient, professional, pharmacy). We further assessed differential effects by baseline MH diagnosis.<bold>Principal Findings: </bold>After 1.5 years, TEAM UP was associated with a relative increase in the rate of primary care visits (IRR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.04-1.27, or 115 additional visits/1000 patients/quarter), driven by children with a MH diagnosis at baseline. There was no significant change in avoidable health care utilization or cost.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Expanding the TEAM UP behavioral health integration model to other sites has the potential to improve primary care engagement in low-income children with MH needs.
- Subjects
BOSTON (Mass.); MENTAL health services; MEDICAL care costs; MEDICAL care; PRIMARY care; MENTAL health; PEDIATRICS; MEDICAL care use
- Publication
Health Services Research, 2019, Vol 54, Issue 6, p1203
- ISSN
0017-9124
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1111/1475-6773.13230