Geographical Variations In Emergency Department Visits For Mental Health Conditions For Medicaid Beneficiaries.

ABSTRACT: Despite Medicaid's importance as a payer and source of coverage for mental health care, relatively little is known about how prevalence, access, and quality might vary among Medicaid beneficiaries. This study used national Medicaid data from 2018 to assess regional variations in emergency department (ED) visits for mental health conditions, a measure that may reflect unmet needs for behavioral health care. We found substantial variations, with rates in the region with the highest visit rates eight times higher than those in the region with the lowest rates. Many regions with high rates of ED visits for mental health conditions also had high rates of outpatient mental health use. Regional patterns differed substantially, with some regions exhibiting high rates of ED visits related to anxiet

SUBMITTER: McConnell KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11203219 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature