The effects of integrating behavioral health into primary care for low-income children.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

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.

Data sources

2014-2017 claims data on continuously enrolled children from a Massachusetts Medicaid managed care plan.

Study design

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

SUBMITTER: Cole MB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6863244 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature