OBJECTIVE: To measure the effects of a mental health benefit design change on treatment initiation for psychiatric disorders of employees of a large U.S.-based company. DATA SOURCES: Mental health treatment administrative claims data plus eligibility information provided by the company for the years 1995-1998. STUDY DESIGN: We measure the effect of a change in mental health benefits consisting of three major elements: a company-wide effort to destigmatize mental illness; reduced copayments for mental health treatment; and an effort to increase access to specialty mental health providers. DATA EXTRACTION METHODS: We identified the subsample of employees that were continuously enrolled in the company's health plan over the period 1995-1998, were between the ages of 18 and 65, and were actively employed. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Our results suggest that the combined effect of destigmatization and reduced copayments led to an 18 percent increase (p<.01) in the probability of initiating mental health treatment. The results suggest that the effort to increase access to specialty providers was effective, but only for nonphysician providers: initiation at nonphysician mental health providers increased nearly 90 percent (p<.01) relative to nonspecialty providers, while use of psychiatrists declined by nearly 40 percent (p<.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the benefit change increased initiation for mental health treatment overall and encouraged the use of nonphysician specialty mental health providers.
OBJECTIVE: To measure the effects of a mental health benefit design change on treatment initiation for psychiatric disorders of employees of a large U.S.-based company. DATA SOURCES: Mental health treatment administrative claims data plus eligibility information provided by the company for the years 1995-1998. STUDY DESIGN: We measure the effect of a change in mental health benefits consisting of three major elements: a company-wide effort to destigmatize mental illness; reduced copayments for mental health treatment; and an effort to increase access to specialty mental health providers. DATA EXTRACTION METHODS: We identified the subsample of employees that were continuously enrolled in the company's health plan over the period 1995-1998, were between the ages of 18 and 65, and were actively employed. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Our results suggest that the combined effect of destigmatization and reduced copayments led to an 18 percent increase (p<.01) in the probability of initiating mental health treatment. The results suggest that the effort to increase access to specialty providers was effective, but only for nonphysician providers: initiation at nonphysician mental health providers increased nearly 90 percent (p<.01) relative to nonspecialty providers, while use of psychiatrists declined by nearly 40 percent (p<.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the benefit change increased initiation for mental health treatment overall and encouraged the use of nonphysician specialty mental health providers.
Authors: Theresa Ann Sipe; Ramona K C Finnie; John A Knopf; Shuli Qu; Jeffrey A Reynolds; Anilkrishna B Thota; Robert A Hahn; Ron Z Goetzel; Kevin D Hennessy; Lela R McKnight-Eily; Daniel P Chapman; Clinton W Anderson; Susan Azrin; Ana F Abraido-Lanza; Alan J Gelenberg; Mary E Vernon-Smiley; Donald E Nease Journal: Am J Prev Med Date: 2015-06 Impact factor: 5.043
Authors: Elizabeth S Levy Merrick; Dominic Hodgkin; Constance M Horgan; Deirdre Hiatt; Bernard McCann; Vanessa Azzone; Galina Zolotusky; Grant Ritter; Sharon Reif; Thomas G McGuire Journal: Adm Policy Ment Health Date: 2009-08-19