Transition to managed care impacts health care service utilization by children insured by Medicaid.

Purpose. To evaluate the impact of transition to managed care from fee for service on asthma service utilization among Maryland Medicaid insured children. Methods. Healthcare claims from 1997-2000 for children with asthma insured by Maryland Medicaid were extracted and analyzed. Results. Between 1997-2000, inhaled corticosteroid use increased as a proportion of all asthma medications. Outpatient asthma visits increased from 4.2% to 5.9% of all outpatient claims as both asthma-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits decreased. Conclusions. Restructuring of Maryland Medicaid for children from fee for service to managed care was associated with improvement in asthma-related healthcare utilization claims.