Care Coordination Impacts on Access to Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs Enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP

Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) often require services from multiple health care providers. This study’s objective is to evaluate whether CSHCN, enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and receiving care coordination services, experience improved access to mental and specialty health care services. Using data from the 2009–2010 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs, two separate outcomes are used to evaluate children’s access to care: receipt of needed mental and specialty care and timely access to services. Using propensity score matching, CSHCN propensity for receiving care coordination services is derived and an assessment is made of care coordination’s impact on the receipt of health care and whether care is delayed. Results demonstrate that care coordination is positively associated with whether a child receives the mental and specialty care that they need, regardless of whether or not that coordination is perceived to be adequate by parents. However, receiving care coordination services that parents perceive to be adequate has a larger impact on the timeliness in which care is received. This study indicates that care coordination is associated with an increased ability for CSHCN to access needed mental and specialty care. States should consider offering care coordination services that support provider communication and fulfill families’ coordination needs to the CSHCN enrolled in their Medicaid and CHIP programs.