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Mental health services utilization in a children’s mental health managed care demonstration

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Abstract

Service delivery under two systems of care—a traditional Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS) reimbursement system and an innovative continuum of care—was examined along six dimensions: access, type, mix, volume, timing, and continuity of services received by children and adolescents. It was found that the Demonstration served over three times as many children as the Comparison. In addition to serving more children, the Demonstration also provided more and different types of services to each child treated. Finally, the Demonstration appears to have delivered services in a more timely fashion and made a considerable effort to match children’s and families’ needs with services.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vanderblt Institute for Public Policy Studies, Vanderbilt University, 1207 18th Ave. South, 37212, Nashville, TN

    Wm. Thomas Summerfelt Ph.D. (Research Associate), E. Michael Foster Ph.D. (an assistant professor) & Robert C. Saunders M.P.P. (a graduate research assistant)

Authors
  1. Wm. Thomas Summerfelt Ph.D.
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  2. E. Michael Foster Ph.D.
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  3. Robert C. Saunders M.P.P.
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Additional information

This research is supported by the U.S. Army Health Services Command (DADA 10-89-C-0013) as a subcontract from the North Carolina Department of Human Resources, Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services, and a grant to Dr. Leonard Bickman (R01MH-46136-01) from the National Institute of Mental Health. This article is part of a special issue that focuses on the Fort Bragg Evaluation. These articles are best understood when read together. The articles are cross-referenced when it is deemed most appropriate.

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Summerfelt, W.T., Foster, E.M. & Saunders, R.C. Mental health services utilization in a children’s mental health managed care demonstration. The Journal of Mental Health Administration 23, 80–91 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02518645

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