Marcus SC, Bridge JA, Olfson M. Payment source and emergency management of deliberate self-harm.
Am J Public Health 2012;
102:1145-53. [PMID:
22515853 PMCID:
PMC3483957 DOI:
10.2105/ajph.2011.300598]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
We investigated whether health insurance type (private vs Medicaid) influences the delivery of acute mental health care to patients with deliberate self-harm.
METHODS
Using National Medicaid Analytic Extract Files (2006) and MarketScan Research Databases (2005-2007), we analyzed claims focusing on emergency episodes of deliberate self-harm of Medicaid- (n=8,228) and privately (n=2,352) insured adults. We analyzed emergency department mental health assessments and outpatient mental health visits in the 30 days following the emergency visit for discharged patients.
RESULTS
Medicaid-insured patients were more likely to be discharged (62.7%), and among discharged patients they were less likely to receive a mental health assessment in the emergency department (47.8%) and more likely to receive follow-up outpatient mental health care (52.9%) than were privately insured patients (46.9%, 57.3%, and 41.2%, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS
Acute emergency management of deliberate self-harm is less intensive for Medicaid- than for privately insured patients, although discharged Medicaid-insured patients are more likely to receive follow-up care. Programmatic reforms are needed to improve access to emergency mental health services, especially in hospitals that serve substantial numbers of Medicaid-insured patients.
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