Early Intervention Financing and Resources: Final Report

This report presents findings from a study of the implementation of coordinated specialty care services
provided to individuals who are experiencing the early stages of schizophrenia as part of the National
Institute of Mental Health’s (NIMH’s) Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode (RAISE)
initiative. This NIMH initiative is a test of the practical implementation of an integrated set of
evidence-based services delivered early in the course of psychosis, the hallmark of the onset of
schizophrenia. These services include supported employment and education, family psycho-education,
and individualized medication management. The hope is that providing these services earlier than
usual will prevent the disabling effects of schizophrenia. Financing these early intervention services is
challenging since most private insurance does not cover this level of care and Medicaid, which does
cover these types of services in many states, generally does not cover these individuals until later
when they have been disabled by this condition (unless they are eligible sooner for some other reason).
The ASPE implementation study that is the subject of this report focused on determining how a
sample of the RAISE initiative sites have managed to finance these early intervention services. In
addition, this study considered how various provisions in the Affordable Care Act present
opportunities for improving coverage of early intervention services for people experiencing the early
stages of schizophrenia. [55 PDF pages]