What's new in child and youth mental health, behavioral health, wraparound and coordinated care?
Tune into what's new in wraparound, coordinated care and behavioral health. Here are some top stories:
1. Michigan debates integrating Medicaid's physical and behavioral health care
For the past 19 years, Medicaid has managed Michigan's now $8 billion physical health budget that serves 1.7 million people. In 1998, Michigan also contracted Medicaid to manage its now $2.4 billion behavioral health budget for 230,000 patients. Both systems received good ratings for care quality and customer service, but could this high quality care be delivered in a more cost-effective fashion?
Experts weighing in on the decision agree that care coordination is the best course of action. Now, they just need to decide what that structure will look like in practice.
2. Maine provides $500K in grants to four community mental health organizations
Four grant recipients were recently selected by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to develop an innovative care coordination system for patients who experience serious mental and behavioral health illnesses. Mental health providers will team up with primary care professionals to ensure that patients have access to high quality, and coordinated, mental and physical health care.
The grant recipients will also serve as "Behavioral Health Homes," where people with mental health illnesses will receive physical health screening in addition to mental health care. If any health issues are identified, the patients will be connected with a primary care provider. The coordinated care teams at these organizations will include: a nurse care manager, peer support specialist, health home coordinator, psychiatric consultant, medical consultant, and clinical team leader.
The four Beheavioral Health Home grants were awarded to: Piscataquis County's Charlotte White Center, Kennebec and Somerset Counties' MaineGeneral Community Care/Mid Maine Behavioral Health, Cumberland County's Opportunity Alliance, and Androscoggin County's Tri County Mental Health Services.
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3. Children in foster care are 3X more likely to have ADHD diagnosis
Research from the CDC took a look at Medicaid outpatient and prescription drug claims from 2011 and discovered a link between foster care and ADHD. Their findings included:
- One in 14 children in Medicaid received an ADHD diagnosis, whereas one in four children in foster care were diagnosed with ADHD
- Three out of four children with ADHD in foster care were treated for some other psychological disorder in 2011
To learn more, read the full story published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
