Behavioral Health

Report to Congress: Aging Services Technology Study June 2012

Jonathan D. Brown, Allison Barrett, Henry Ireys, Emily Caffery, and Kerianne Hourihan Mathematica Policy Research April 9, 2012  

As the largest payer of mental health services in the United States, Medicaid programs have an opportunity to promote high-quality care for serious and persistent mental illnesses (SPMI) through the use of reimbursement strategies and policies that encourage the delivery of evidence-based practices (EBPs).

   

This report is intended to describe sources of payment for behavioral health providers and types of payments (methods, units, adjustments and updates) made to inpatient, outpatient, independent practitioners, and other providers of behavioral health services. A significant focus of this report describes these same factors in terms of Medicare and Medicaid spending. [209 PDF pages]

This exploratory study provides background information pertaining to an American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Suicide Prevention Hotline.

  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Current disability policy provides support for people with a mental illness once they are no longer able to work and thus qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).