High-Cost Persistence Among Medicaid Patients Receiving Mental Health Care

Scott Wetzler, Ph.D., Nathaniel Counts, J.D., Bruce Schwartz, MD, Urvashi Patel, Ph.D., Sarah Overholt, MA, Samantha Holcombe, MPH, Joseph Parks, MD

Abstract


Purpose: Care management for high-cost patients is only effective if their costs persist year-to-year. Little is known about the relative persistence of high-cost patients receiving mental health care compared to random chance or a national sample of the general population.

Methods: We identified Medicaid patients receiving mental health care that were in the top 20%, 10%, and 5% of costs based on claims that remained high-cost two and three years. The likelihood of two-year persistence for those in the top 10% was compared to random chance and a national sample using a 2x2 contingency table.

Results: The high-cost population demonstrated two-year persistence of 64% for top 20%, 56% for top 10%, 46% for top 5%. Compared to 10% persistence from random chance and 43% persistence from a national sample, the sample persistence was significantly greater.

Conclusions: High-cost Medicaid patients with mental health diagnoses demonstrate greater high-cost persistence than the general population.


Full Text:

PDF

References


Please see the article for references.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


©Journal of Health Care Finance