The utilization of Medicaid mental health services

The experience of Medicaid recipients in the public mental health system is examined for a cohort of new users with respect to time spent in treatment and patterns of care. The analysis shows that 47% of the user cohort do not receive services again over the 4-year study period. Approximately 25% are found to be using services 4 years later, 19% of whom are continuous users throughout the period. These long-term users tend to be the most seriously mentally ill based on diagnosis and disability status and display patterns of care that shift, over time, from inpatient care to outpatient services. Inpatient services were used by 29% of the new cohort during their first year in treatment which has implications for managing mental health care since a large percent of crisis patients are new or unknown to the system each year.